Alta High School - Accipitor Yearbook (Sandy, UT)

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Ironically consisting of mostly sophomores, the Junior Choir provided a singing experience for those who did not tryout for Concert Choir or would next year The choir performed two numbers at the Christmas Concert Dressed in their pink, silk like dresses and tux edos the Concert Choir always presented a classy image when performing at or away from school. Buying and making the uniforms was the respon sibility of each individual choir member The mighty •Clausettes do their thing With sweats and caps. Barbara Erikcson. LeAnn Gaydon. Chris Blankentstein. and Nancy Booth perform a quartet number between choir presentations at the Christmas Concert. Daily practices in the Instrumental Room prepared the Symphonic Band for concerts during the year Andy Dahl and Chris Weiss share a music stand during a woodwind section solo. Music • 121

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Some Musicians Of Note A big chunk of the successful publicity generated by school organizations came from the awardwinning music depart- ment. The various groups not only enter- tained school and community patrons, but they also worked hard to bring home hon- ors from district and state competitions. The music department consisted of the instrumental music classes taught by Mr. Ken Gondor. and the choral department led by Mr. Gordon Quigley. Five singing groups were available for students interest- ed in singing: A'capella. Madrigals, Girls Chorus and the Junior Choir. Besides per forming the annual Christmas and spring concerts, the choirs traveled to local churches, the ZCMI Mall, the L.D.S. Church Office Building. The Madrigal Choir presented Christmas carols for those attending the performances of The Nut- cracker” at the Capitol Theater. The major competition of the year for choirs and indi- vidual singing performances was the State Solo and Ensemble Festival, held on April 16. The choirs were exposed to, practiced, and performed a great variety of music from pop to classical to religious. This vari- ety provided diverse opportunities for per- formance locations. In other words, be- cause of their varied music repertoire, the group was able to perform at many loca tions to many different audiences. “In or der to succeed in the chorus.” Mr. Quigley stated, a total commitment to attendance at all rehearsals and performances must be made in addition to the individual time Looking for direction from conductor Ken Gondor. the string section of the orchestra class practices numbers from the school musical Guys artlfDolls 120 • Music At athletic activities, the Marching Band proved one of the best spirit boosters to the fans. This year s band was larger and better than ever and won several competitions early in the year.

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Strings ’n’ Sings spent in learning music and vocal tech- niques. This is the key to success in choral music performances. The instrumental department consisted of orchestra, marching band, symphonic band, and jazz band classes. This year’s performances included tournaments and festivals at B.Y.U., the (J. of (J., Region Competition, the Nebo Tournament, as well as the school musical, pep assem- blies, sporting events, and school concerts. Mr. Gondor. commenting on the im- provements and weakness of this year’s groups compared to past year’s replied, ‘‘At the beginning of the year, I worried about the quality of the program because so many seniors had graduated—nearly one-third of our bands; but we had a superb group of freshmen enroll, and the overall result was that the groups were even better than before. I hope this is a continuing trend.” by Carolyn Franz During the Alta High Christmas Concert, Ashealle Robinson and Rachel Eidahl sing Do you hear what I hear” and Mow is the caroling season.” For the fourth year, members of the school choirs performed Christmas selections at the ZCMI Mall. Ashealle Robinson, Alan Smith and Susan Pearson dramatically perform Give A Little Love at Christ mas. Obviously enjoying her talent, Jan McLelland joins others of the Madrigal Choir in performing spirited Christmas songs for parents and patrons of the school at the annual night-time holiday concert. 122 • Music