James Madison High School - Prospectus Yearbook (San Diego, CA)

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1 Chris Amaro and Liz Graehl during class practice. 2 Ruth Hertz accompanies the ensemble. 3 The group sings with the direction of Mr. Sloan. 4 The bass section of the ensemble. Cary Sopher and Lori Miles perfect a routine. Members of ensemble concentrate during prac- tice. Honor Ensemble; Chris Amaro, Eric Jensen, Liz Graehl, John Forrest, Sharon Stoneman, Scott Donnellan, Sue Smelser, Dennis Bates, Anne Berwick, Gary Sopher, Mickey McNaughton, Gary Combs, Lori Miles, Scott Tidwell, Ruth Hertz, Philip Orara, Carolyn Whyte. Honor Ensemble 157

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Singing Ambassadors During one of our trips to Granada Hills we took the Universal Studios tour and had a blast. Other than the usual—t.p. and racing around—we had nightly get-togethers where we played ping-pong and sang along at the piano. As one of the liveliest groups on campus. Honor Ensemble did indeed do more this year than just sing. Yet, in spite of these diversions, the group remained serious and hard- working when it came time to perform. The sixteen singers, pianist and percussionist came together with a definite change in attitude. It was a more united singing group; more of a family affair. Under the direction of Mr. Sloan the ensemble practiced, perfected and per- formed their routines over sixty times this year. They earned money for their performances, and sometimes held fund raising drives such as candy sales. The money will probably go toward another long trip next year; last year the ensemble visited Hawaii. The group has earned a reputation for talent and excellence in the community. 156 Honor Ensemble

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 V l y own in de Lonesome Valley, Night Hymn, Song of Democracy, Do these sound like a list of top ten best sellers? Probably not. Instead, these were some of the songs that Madison's Concert Choir worked on and presented during the year. We do a wide variety of music, commented choir member Eric Jensen, from a Spanish mass to a South Pacific musical, Despite all the serious music that the choir sings, the group still manages to have some fun. Sometimes after a good per- formance, added another choir member, Chris Amaro, we manage to make it over to Farrell's. What a blast when you've got a room full of students dressed alike, eating Zoo's! We were a better disciplined group this year and had a lot more students who were interested in singing, remarked choir secretary Chris Venzor. By sel- ling chocolate candy bars, and eating a lot themselves, the group was able to finance their yearly activities. These included performances within the community, a Christ- mas and Spring concert, and participation in all city choirs. People always asked me what we were going to do to- day, reflected Chris Amaro, it was so obvious, SING! V M I 158 Concert Choir