The De Soto High School band and choir put on their annual winter concert on Dec. 9. The concert lasted only an hour and a half as there were adjustments to the normal schedule.
“As an alumni, I know how long that these concerts used to be. I thought that this concert had a better flow and was definitely more brief and better than ones in years past,” audience member Nick Hall said.
Not only did audience members appreciate the brevity of the concert, but many members of the band and choral group did as well.
“It was nice to be able to get through everything quicker than usual. I think that the audience appreciates it too,” junior Carena Bledsoe said.
Students were not the only ones who thought it was successful, both band director Matt Bradford and choir director Maryetta Copeland were pleased with the performance and the turn-out.
“This performance, as a whole, went really well. I think that the audience was really receptive of our music,” Copeland said.
The choir and band played numerous holiday tunes that they hoped would resonate with audience members. The audience appreciated this aspect of the concert because some said that it reminded them of their childhood.
“I loved hearing songs that I was familiar with. It was refreshing and I liked that I was able to follow along,” audience member Gabby Philbrook said.
To get the audience involved, the madrigals choir invited DHS alumni to sing the Hallelujah Chorus with them. Some alumni said that this is their favorite part of the concert because they like to get involved.
“I love it because we have several alumni of DHS in our family, so we all get up there and sing it. I absolutely love it and it is definitely one of the highlights of the concert for me,” audience member Tami Reeves said.