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Jubilee singers excite with captivating vocals

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This year’s annual Jubilee concert delighted the audience with its astonishing display of church hymns and feel-good songs. The concert, directed by music teacher Sheldon Reid, was performed Feb. 2 in the auditorium.

The show started with senior Rene Miller singing “Friend of God.” The song consisted of one lyric, “I am a friend of God,” repeated in call and response form. Though lyrically easy, Miller and the choir made the song jazzy and exciting. Miller threw in well-timed improved riffs every so often, and horns in the background supported the chorus and made the song pop.

Later in the show, senior Drew Bookman sang a solo in the song “Be Still,” a slower ballad. Bookman did not focus on her voice but instead led the choir in singing the song. Bookman also added in many riffs that make the song deeper and more meaningful.

Junior Jenn Tang sang a solo in the song “Please Don’t Forget About Me,” which is a slow song that questions if God is listening to their prayers. Tang is a soprano, so her voice went along well with the slower tempo and made it sound beautiful. She powerfully belted a few high notes, and the audience cheered whenever she stepped out of her comfort zone to try these harder notes.

“I feel like it’s more nerve-racking to be a soloist,” said Tang. “It’s like an out of body experience, you forget what your body is doing and you just rely on muscle memory.”

The whole chorus finished the performance with “The Lord’s My Shepherd.” Reid told the audience Jubilee performs this song every year, and he invited past members of Jubilee to the stage. The Jubilee members wore black while the alums turned into pops of color in the crowd. Just like most of the other songs, there was a form of call and response between the sopranos and the tenors. They finished the song in perfect harmony, which ended the show on a high note.

“We were a little nervous going into this year. We lost so many graduating seniors, but I think we lived up to the expectation,” said senior Ceci Powderly. “We are all so passionate about this, and we love performing and singing, so it definitely shows.”

Miller added that each show is a learning experience. “I think every show is different. It was a great show and of course, we all could have practiced more, but that’s just how every concert feels,” said Miller. “So many people came to support, and that is really awesome.”

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