University High School’s concert choir was invited to perform for the Disney Candlelight Professional. This event took place on November 28th at Epcot Disney Park and was performed during the EPCOT International Festival of the Holidays, which was hosted this season by actress Ann Margret.
In anticipation of this event, the Concert Choir has been practicing Christmas songs since the school year began. “To prepare for Candlelight we started to listen to Christmas music back in August and we had to submit a video audition to be reviewed. Once Disney replied back with their decision, we learned 14 songs to prepare for our performance at candlelight,” said Chorus Director Mr. Jay Dunn.
This choir had to learn many songs to be able to perform such as Oh Holy Night, What Child is This, Rejoice with Exceeding Great Joy, Silent Night, and more. “It was a little bit stressful to learn this many songs in a short amount of time but I liked being able to worked on the music in class, which helped a lot, teamwork makes it better,” said by senior Rose Negron
The performance included a 50-piece orchestra and 250 student choir members, including 50 who represented University. The choirs worked together to create harmony, which included behind the scenes work as well. “As the president I had to help the directors and the volunteer parents and students a little more than the other students but it was definitely rewarding because I got to see everybody come together and enjoy the experience at candlelight,” said senior Alivia Thomas.
