Tokay High School - Tokay Yearbook (Lodi, CA)

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LQ? Concert choir add variety o program By participating in concerts and festivals, as well as an operetta, Concert Choir had a busy and prosperous year. During the month of December, Concert Choir analyzed the perfor- mance piece Medieval Mystery Cycle. They studied vocal produc- tion, the styles, and the historical background of the medieval period then applied their knowledge to performance practices in order to make their performances more au- thentic. Choir students also performed the operetta The Reluctant Dragon which contained no speaking parts. The music is often dissonant containing many notes that cluster and clash, making this piece a challenge for the choir and so- loists, said Cassie Reutlinger, choir director. By adding tricky rhythms and an orchestral accompaniment, Mrs. Reutlinger thought they had ac- complished, by performance, an outstanding piece of choral litera- ture. All of these activities promoted the education of choir students by teaching students how to sing and to show them what they were singing about. Every student in the ensemble was outstanding, contributing his own individuality to the ensemble as a whole, said Mrs. Reutlinger, Some may have better sight- reading or music reading ability while others contribute better tone quality or diction, so that the whole was definitely a sum of its parts. The choir also had a chance to show its abilities at the choral festi- vals held the last week of April and early May. According to Mrs. Reut- linger, each choir prepared three contrasting songs for adjudication and participated in the sight-reading contest. by Kathryn Kiszlowski photos by Mike McMurry T? 1 if H' Q9 4 Q. . at l ' fi . s. 'sr '44 5 - 'eff if lg rg r R g .pf, , .rg ,V 6. Members of the Concert Choir are front row Elizabeth Brown, Deborah Bullord, Carla Alfonso, Director Cas- sie Reutlinger, Heather Buck, Conna Prusky, and Angelique Cordova. Se- cond row Becky Dion, Krista Messick, Lisa Brieling, James Childress, Mark Jordan, Aldo Bianchi, Serina Jensen, and Rhonda Sanders. Row three Rona ll- 5' ls? -.J r. -- . -'J I- -V -, ...ye Anderson, lya Ishida, Desiree Wool- len, Montena Terry, Roy jeter, Brian Morris, Jesse Walter, Lisa Smith, Sher- ry Harrison, and Bridget Casey. Row four Deborah Angeline, Jenny Dresar, Christien McDaniel, Michelle Surplus, Nathan Stark, Byron Brown, Kristen Growenwegen, Carry Sheppman, Mel- issa Conrad, and Brenda Huber. Concert Choir 43

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I. Standing back to view the arrange- ment of the choir is Director Cassie Reutlinger. 2. Students practice diction with Dir- ector Cassie Reutlinger. FX' 55? N-132 F Ri? wdqtefl 9 I fi., 5 'kip . .2 5 if V lr Kzzrgggggx ' f1fmsq,M5,1ga ,. NX W 3. Practicing her breathing exercises is Phfagm- freshman Krista Messick, 5. Director Cassie Reutlinger helps 4. Senior Nathan Stark and junior Tina POSifi0ll the Ch0il' f0l' their gI'0Up Kinney practice singing from the dia- P0ff aif-

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Singers make performances Singers maintain active year After a very busy schedule, the Choral and Chamber singers hung their hats with a presenta- tion of the children's classic The Reluctant Dragon by John Rutter in February. The show was complete with Cassie Reutlinger, choir director and Larry Linda, theater arts director as co- directors. Earlier in the year, we sang to the Soroptimist Club at Dudley's restaurant twice in December and did similar shows at American Savings, said senior Nathan Stark. ln December, the singers were hard at work on the Tokay High Performing Arts lTl'lSPAJ produc- tion ofthe Medieval Mystery Cycle, a celebration of Christ's birth as seen through medieval writers' eyes. But the spotlight seemed to be on senior Mark Jordan, who was accepted in the All-State Concert l. Cassie Ruetlinger re- hearses with students the bass part of their Februa- ry production of The Reluctant Dragon. 2. Seniors Mark Jordan and Nathan Stark, and juniors Elizabeth Brown and Roy Jeter rehearse a scene from The Reluct- ant Dragon with Cassie Reutlinger, Choir Direc- tor. 3. Cassie Reutlinger dir- ects her singers to sing an octave higher. 44 Choir in December. For auditions, Jordan had to perform different chords, matching tones, major and chramatic scales, tonal memory, sight reading, and a solo. Jordan chose The Turtle Dove as his solo audition piece. 'fl went into lthe auditionj thinking I would make it. 'Go for it,' l kept telling myself. To me, that's the difference between making it and not making it, said Jordan after being accepted. The singers also performed at the California Music Educators Association to be judged on their solo abilities. The group, not actually representing Tokay, sang solos or triple trios in front of a judge or judges and were rated on their singing abilities. lt's a personal measuring, said Jordan. by C. Todd Barnes photos by Gregory Cooper