As the headlights dim, their faces are illuminated throughout the stage and with each move of their director’s arm, their voices intertwine creating a harmony that resonates across the auditorium.

On Dec. 7 the choir department performed their annual winter show at the auditorium from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.

There were various styles of songs that were performed such as The Holiday Season, Ose Shalom, Ariana Grande, Beach Boys, an arrangement of Veni, Veni, Emmanuel and Silent Night.

“The songs were very pretty and there was a nice variety of genres,” freshman Vaishnavi Gudimella said. “It was definitely nerve-racking at first but it was fun to perform. I didn’t focus on the crowd, I just focused on the directors.

During the show, head director Jenna Quiroz announced seniors Sophie Gwaldo, Ani Albin, Cooper McDorman and sophomore Isaiah Barafwala advanced past pre-area and will be auditioning for the All-State choir on Jan. 6.

“I’m very excited [to audition for All-State choir],” Albin said. “I’ve just learned so much, and I’ve grown so much as a musician and a person just throughout the whole experience.”

The choir department has been practicing for the winter choir show since they finished their fall concert in October.

“Practice is pretty intense,” Albin said. “We do a lot of singing and sight reading. Sight reading is where you just are pretty much handed a sheet of music and then you’re supposed to know it.”

This is the first year for Quiroz and assistant choir director Cindy Moser to manage the choir department together. They both agreed with the idea of having a faculty parent chorus at the show. 

“It was a very fun experience,” English and AP language teacher Christina Gatti said. “Ms. Moser and Ms. Quiroz are wonderful directors and having us sing with the parents was an awesome bonding experience. I would 100% do this again. I loved getting to sing and share a passion for music with students, parents and faculty alike.”

Transitioning from assistant director to now, head director has been a good experience for Quiroz. 

“I’ve spent the last three years here really developing an awesome relationship with the fine arts department,” Quiroz said. “It’s been nice to step in and create my own idea of things. I’ve been having an awesome time with Ms. Moser and we’ve been creating a whole new culture together.”

Quiroz’s experience from being in the high school choir inspired her to become a choir director.

“I loved it so much,” Quiroz said. “The things that I learned

from my peers and from my directors throughout those years made me really excited to work with teenage people. So that’s been fun.”

The choir department will have a UIL Preview concert in March before they go out for their competition. After UIL they will be having their end-of-year concert. 

“I’m so excited [for UIL] because it’s challenging,” sophomore Lindsay Morgan said. “We get to sing different languages and they have the best music.”