LIHUE — Tuesday is a grand night for singing!
That’s the day Island School’s three choral ensembles, together comprising the Island School Chorus, will take the stage in the Jasmine Ballroom at the Aqua Kauai Beach Resort to present their 10th annual spring concert. “It’s a Grand Night for Singing!” is the chorus’s most ambitious concert yet, showcasing 120 students in fourth- through 12th-grades.
“This is our 12th year in existence,” said director Philip Steinbacher, who started the choral program when he came to Island School in 2006.
During the first two years of the program, it was still sort of a fledgling group, but now the program is getting grounded.
“We sang a few songs here or there at school events or meetings, but didn’t really give a full scale concert until Christmas of 2008,” Steinbacher said. “That first concert to a packed audience in Island School’s main hall proved to be a success, and we immediately moved to KCC Performing Arts Center for our first spring concert in April 2009.”
That makes this upcoming spring concert at the Kauai Beach Resort the 10th spring concert, hence the celebration.
“Our 10th year, our 20th concert,” Steinbacher said. “Students in the chorus, from grades 4 through 12, have been preparing since January for this concert celebration.”
The concert directed by Steinbacher and accompanied by Rose Alfiler-Taboniar features favorite selections from the chorus’s previous spring concerts.
“I’ve always thought the pieces in this concert warranted more than one performance, so we’re revisiting songs our audiences have asked to hear again,” Steinbacher said. “Most are pieces students have told me they loved singing and have been asking to sing again.”
“We’re now at a point where the chorus is creating traditions. And it’s fun to look at old favorites in new ways,” he added. “Naturally, the concert will also feature a few new pieces as we continue to explore both traditional and contemporary choral works.”
The cost for ages 18 and up is $12, while youth ages 3 to 17 are $5. Tickets are only available online at https://goo.gl/npBeVT and go on sale at 8 a.m. Monday. Patrons are encouraged to purchase tickets promptly as they may sell out quickly.
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John Steinhorst, reporter, can be reached at 245-0435 or jsteinhorst@thegardenisland.com.
