Saturday, December 17, 2005
BELOIT -- The West Branch High School & quot;Young & amp; Alive & quot; show choir will take its show on the road this holiday season.
The 38-member troupe leaves the day after Christmas for Orlando, Fla., and will perform at Walt Disney World, Universal Studios, Dolly Parton's Dixie Stampede and Arabian Nights.
Before the tour, the show choir will present its annual holiday program to the public at the Choral Department Christmas Concert at 7 p.m. Tuesday in the high school auditorium.
The concert is free and open to the public.
"Young & amp; Alive" recently performed a preview of its holiday show entitled & quot;Moods of Christmas & quot; in the high school cafeteria, kicking off a full schedule of other performances for the group in December.
Background
The "Young & amp; Alive" show choir was started at West Branch High School by Tom Schoeni about 30 years ago. Members are chosen by audition only. Rehearsals for the show begin in September, and, once the music is learned, a dance routine is designed for each song. Costumes, lighting and sound effects are added to complete the show.
Every style of music is represented in its performance, including classical, pop, traditional Christmas, jazz and swing.
This year, "Young & amp; Alive" will perform 30 shows for local clubs, elementary schools, retirement centers, church groups and preschools. The 2005 show is made up of ensemble numbers and some solo selections.
The choral ensembles at West Branch High School are directed by John Zamarelli.