The Pierre TF Riggs High School choirs will present their spring concert “Thank You For The Music!” this evening (May 11, 2023) at 7pm in the Riggs Theater.
Admission fee is $3 for students and $5 for adults, with activity passes being accepted.
This concert will feature the Treble Choir, the Chamber Choir and the Concert Choir. The selections presented in this concert are on the lighter side of music, encompassing jazz, musical theater and popular music. Pieces include (in no particular order or group): Orange Colored Sky (a jazz standard), Nine to Five by Dolly Parton, My Boyfriend’s Back by The Angels, Can’t Take My Eyes Off Of You by Frankie Valli, I’m Still Standing by Elton John, Bill Bailey Won’t You Please Come Home (jazz standard), and Thank You For The Music by ABBA.
Tomorrow afternoon (May 12, 2023) from 12-12:45pm, the Riggs Chamber Choir will be presenting their annual “Angels In The Architecture” concert in the Capitol Rotunda. The all acappella concert will present a wide variety of literature they’ve sung throughout the year.
During this concert, the chamber choir will be premiering a brand-new choral piece written specifically for this group. “Riverscapes” by Jacob Narverud was written with the acoustics of the capitol in mind, and it features original text by Senior Patrick Valentine.
About the May 11 concert:
Grace Schumacher said the following: “We are a really good choir and I’m very optimistic about what we will present. We have the right energy for what we are doing. I’m really excited to hear what the Treble choir will sing and I am excited to perform with the seniors one least time.”
Senior Robert Arnold said “Personally, I need to work more on memorization, but I am excited to sing and perform. I really enjoying singing “Can’t Help Falling In Love,” made famous by Elvis Presley.”
Senior Patrick Valentine had this to say: It’s surreal to think that this is the last time I am singing with these people. It’s bittersweet. It’s a great ending, but I don’t want it to be the end. I love the energy we have when singing “Can’t Take My Eyes Off You.” I’m excited that people will know these songs and some people may even sing along. I think it’s going to be en enjoyable experience for both the choirs and the audience.”
Director Mr. Rodd Bauck had this to say about the concert: “This is a very fun concert, but also a very hard concert to prepare. It’s fun and gratifying to do some lighter literature that the students know and recognize. Seeing them have fun on stage because they know the song always brings a smile to my face. Prepping this literature is also difficult because when the songs are well known, mistakes tend to stick out more. If you know the song “Thank You For The Music” by ABBA and you hear something that doesn’t sound like the original song, it sticks out to you as something noticeably wrong or different. It seems weird to say, but having fun in a spring concert comes with a certain level of work to make sure it’s done right!”
About the May 12 concert:
Director Mr. Rodd Bauck said the following: “Every year, I am told by many people that this is an absolute favorite concert of the year. The community and students echo that statement. There are pieces that I pick throughout the year specifically for how they might sound in the Rotunda. Not only is it beautiful, but it is an all-out musical experience.”
Bauck says initially Valentine was a little nervous about his text being used because he wrote it when he was a Freshman, but when he heard what the composer had done with his words, he thought it was perfect.
“This text is about the Missouri River. One night, I was just envisioning a walking trail that goes to a small opening by the river. I saw the moon reflecting off the river. That picture is what inspired these words. I am extremely honored by the professional interpretation from the composer. When we began rehearsing it, I thought what he had done was just perfect. The notes look and sound like waves and ripples on the water. It’s just perfect,” said Valentine.
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