‘Home alone’

The Waseca High School Choir held its annual winter concert, titled "A Home Alone Christmas” on Dec. 19 in the Performing Arts Center. Groups featured were the Concert Choir, Male and Female Sextets, Showtime, the State Street Singers, and the Select Choir. All of these groups are directed by Tim Delnay. Melissa Schulz served as piano accompanist. Alongside traditional favorites, many selections performed were from the 20th Century Fox films “Home Alone” and “Home Alone 2,” with scores composed by John Williams. Delnay described these films as “especially magical” in their music, theme, and humor.

The Concert Choir, the smaller of the two robed choirs, began the night’s performances with “Christmas Stars” by Cristi Cary Miller, featuring Layla Keith singing the descant; “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” arranged by Schmutte; “Christmas Star” from “Home Alone 2” by Bricusse and Williams; and “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree with Jingle Bell Rock” arranged by Mark Hayes.

The combined Male and Female Sextets then sang Langford’s arrangement of “I’ll Be Home for Christmas,” before the all-female show choir Showtime took the stage. The ladies of Showtime performed “Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)” with soloists Ashton Jenzen & Sophie Charwa, arranged by DeSpain, and a “Santa’s on His Way” medley arranged by Greg Gilpin with choreography by Ashton Jenzen.

Waseca’s co-ed show choir, the State Street Singers, performed next. They began with “White Christmas” as performed by the Drifters, arranged by Audrey Snyder and featured in “Home Alone”, with soloists Jenaro Delgado, Lindsey Kopetzki, and Lucas Vasquez.

Each of the Sextets then performed individual numbers. The Male and Female Sextets are the smallest ensembles of Waseca High School’s choirs, and all twelve members of these groups are also part of the State Street Singers. The ladies started by singing the Jude Roldan arrangement of “Suo Gan,” a song in Welsh from the Warner Bros film “Empire of the Sun,” also composed by John Williams. The gentlemen then sang “Star Wars (John Williams is the Man)” as performed by the group Moosebutter, a medley of music from John Williams’ most famous films with lyrics about the Star Wars franchise arranged by Slagowski.

The combined female voices of the Concert Choir and Select Choir then performed “O Holy Night,” arranged by Adolphe Adam and featured in “Home Alone.”

The Select Choir, Waseca’s larger robed choir, filled out the remainder of the evening’s program. They began with Rutter’s arrangement of “We Wish You a Merry Christmas” followed by “Exsultate Justi” by John Williams, the second piece of the evening to come from the Warner Brothers film “Empire of the Sun,” In addition to piano accompaniment, “Exsultate Justi” featured Hannah LaCroix on flute and Waseca High School band director Devon Lawrence on drum. The Select Choir was then joined by an instrumental ensemble for their next three numbers: “Somewhere in My Memory,” “Star of Bethlehem,” and “Merry Christmas, Merry Christmas,” all by Bricusse and Williams and from “Home Alone” and “Home Alone 2.” As is tradition, before the show could come to its close all Waseca Choir Alumni were invited to the stage for the performance of Handel’s “Hallelujah Chorus.”