This year, on Nov. 3, the choir department hosted what has become an annual tradition, Club Allegro. Operating in the style of a variety show, Club Allegro allowed singers to showcase their talents to anyone who wished to come. Over 20 students performed songs ranging from country to hip-hop, and each singer was allowed to choose their own song. Some students even chose to perform with a partner, like Caroline Hutchins (11) and Riley Regnier (12), who performed a song by country duo Maddie & Tae, or perform with an instrument, like Ace Johnson (10) who performed an American folk tune while strumming on his guitar.

Maxine Messer (10) has been in the choir and orchestra since her elementary days, playing the violin along with excelling in singing. Messer was also selected for the All-State choir this year, which is set to perform on March 2-4. Messer performed the classic country song “Crazy” by Patsy Cline, allowing her to showcase her unique tone and masterful musicianship through this dreary song of loss and love.

“I wanted to perform at Club Allegro because I’ve always loved singing and showing people what I do, and I want music to be part of my future. I was definitely nervous to perform at Club Allegro, but the audience’s response to my performance made me much more confident,” Messer said.

Choir, along with other music and art classes, is considered a great place to develop lifelong tools. Music can teach students the value of hard work to achieve a goal, and how to focus for long periods of time in order to develop the skills needed to perform in front of an audience. Being able to perform in front of an audience is a unique opportunity that a lot of music students at other schools might not experience, and all of the singers that performed took great advantage of this amazing opportunity.

Annaka Lyda (9) has been a member of some form of choir since Kindergarten, and she has also been a member of the marching band since seventh grade. Lyda performed a duet of “Lovely” by Billie Eilish with her friend Claire Lauer (9). This song allowed the freshmen to display their smooth vocals and showed their harmonic ability.

“I decided to sing at Club Allegro because I love singing duets with my friend Claire, and it was an opportunity to perform together again. My favorite part of choir is being able to sing with other people and harmonizing,” Lyda said.

Another amazing thing about Club Allegro is the fundraising aspect for students. Noah Banks (12) is the president of the choir program, and he introduced all of the acts at the show. Banks helped to organize the event.

“This event is a fundraiser for our choir program’s scholarship fund. We offer over $2,500 in scholarships for our graduating seniors. We raised $1,300 at this year’s Club Allegro. We also raise money to support choir members’ individual financial needs such as trips, All State, audition fees and much more,” Banks said.