It’s been a busy month for the performing arts students of Sturgeon Heights Collegiate, and perhaps no one has been busier than the students in the school choirs. From working in clinics with ChoralFest to performing a semester-ending concert to sharing the musical Matilda, the streets of St. James have been filled with singing for weeks on end.
“I think every music student knows that at this time of the year,” acknowledged Sturgeon Heights Collegiate choir director Avonlea Armstrong-Green when asked about the hectic performing schedule. “These kids are riding on raw energy at this point of the year!”
In the midst of this busy season of singing, Sturgeon Heights’ vocal jazz ensemble In the Heights stopped by the Classic 107 studios to share a holiday carol and a song from the Frozen franchise. Even though these songs weren’t a part of their repertoire for their recent concerts, the group enjoyed bringing them out for the radio audience.
“It is fun at this time of year to bring out some of the traditional ones and keep singing them or learning them for the first time,” Armstrong-Green says.
Many of the singers of In the Heights are also involved in other choirs, both at the school and in the wider St. James Assiniboia School Division. All of these ensembles are looking ahead to the new year, as they have performances and development opportunities far beyond the city in Chicago and Boston. Armstrong-Green notes that these types of trips serve to strengthen the bond between the choristers and makes them a stronger ensemble when they return to entertain audiences back home.
"I don't necessarily remember my math or science classes, but the things that I remember are the arts and getting to do concerts and getting to travel together, perform together,” says Armstrong-Green. “When students know each other and like each other, then I think they’re going to sing better together, perform better together and have more fun!”
You can learn more about the music program at Sturgeon Heights Collegiate at the school’s website.