The sweetest of serenades
Manny Lopez / The Samohi
The Samo Choir program held its annual Sweet Serenade event on Oct. 18 at John Adams Middle School (JAMS) in Santa Monica. Choir students performed a variety of pop, alternative, and country music from multiple eras. The event is the choir’s biggest fundraiser of the year and is an important source of income for the program.
However, before any of the onstage performances, a significant amount of effort goes into planning the event, with choir students at the forefront. Chorale choir student Nyah Latif (’27) explained the process.
“The students of the Samo choir program usually prep throughout every class period. We start the day with sight-reading practice, followed by vocal warm-ups, and then we jump into our songs for the performance.” Latif said. “We have auditions for soloists, and if you are chosen, you practice with your individual choir and with all of the choirs combined. We practice both during school hours and after, using JAMS as a practice and performance space for our productions.”
As the choir’s main fundraising event, there was a lot of emphasis placed on fundraising throughout the night. During the show, there were also breaks in between songs to advertise fundraising, mainly the online auction. In the main greeting area outside the auditorium, where the show was performed, there was a concession stand, and a raffle was held for attendees to participate in. Prizes included an E-Bike, AirPods, and Angel City FC tickets, all of which were donated to the program, and there was a segment near the end of the show where the winners of the raffle prizes were announced. On top of this, there was also a VIP reception area, which allowed attendees with a VIP ticket to enjoy food and a mocktail as well as reserved seating inside the auditorium. Choir director Jeffe Huls has run the Sweet Serenade Event since its beginnings.
“Since its inception, it has become our only fundraiser; we do not ask our students to sell anything else,” Huls said. “We put all our energy into this one event. That is why its success is so important.”
The performance itself lasted roughly two hours with a 15-minute intermission in the middle. Different choir groups performed a variety of genres, featuring songs such as "Pompeii" by Bastille, "Toxic" by Britney Spears, "Somebody to Love" by Queen, and "Jolene" by Dolly Parton. Students also performed the popular song “Golden” from the movie K-POP Demon Hunters. Accompanying the choir was a serenade band, which consisted of students and the choir directors playing various instruments.
Chorale choir member Sawyer Wells (’28) shared his perspective on the performance.
“It's more fun and less super serious. If it were to be a winter concert or our spring concert, those are serious ones,” Wells said. “This one's fun and punk-rock, compared to the really opera-type stuff, it really shows how we're still being taught amazing music, and how we could unite as a team and sing and be well-organized. And it shows that our district is doing a good job at teaching us that. It's a very connecting experience.”
The choir still has other performances to come, including the Winter Concert, Motus Perpetus, and the Spring Concert, which are more traditional choir concerts.