Nutley High’s Yuletide Spectacular

On December 10, 2021, Nutley High School Audience Member Tabitha Marese, Coordinator Of the Vocalist activities Stephone Gaines,  and performers Caroline Ritacco and Fabian Hattem  discussed what efforts and preparations went into the recent Yuletide concert at the Nutley High School and Saint Mary’s Church held on Tuesday the 7th  and Friday the 10th. 

It’s everyone's favorite time of the year, and to kick off the season festivities Nutley High School hosted  a Yuletide Concert. Mr. Stephone Gaines is the Coordinator of the vocalist activities  at Nutley High School. He teaches concert choir, along with choroletts, and Chambers singers. 

Mr. Gaines had been planning a Yuletide concert for months in advance trying to get everything ready and prepared. In preparation for this concert, all of the male students both in Chambers and concert choir got fitted for suits, and the female Chorolettes, Chambers, and Concert Choir students fitted for dresses.

Along with their outfits, pearl necklaces were required for the females, and vests for the male chamber singers. All students had to look presentable with their hair done, and dressed in the assigned attire. 

Mr. Gaines and his students had practiced every opportunity they had for this concert. Even if that meant taking all afternoon to make positively sure the students knew what they were doing and were prepared. Along with practicing this performance had a tremendous amount of preparation involved, from vocal warm ups, to attire, to even Covid protocols.

"A variety of things went into preparing for our concert! Some folks may believe that we just learn music and go on stage, but there's a lot that goes on behind the scenes. In addition to learning the music, we dedicated time to figuring out our performance attire, considering the program order (order of ensembles and songs), the actual creation of the program itself and what was in it or omitted, figuring out where students stand on the risers (how many rows of risers), transitions on and off the stage, which hand you hold your folder in, and learning new languages," Gaines explained. 

The students spent time rehearsing everyday, and dedicating themselves to making sure everything was perfect.  “We worked really hard, it gets difficult sometimes but it's all worth it.” Performer and Chambers singer Caroline Ritacco stated. The performers had multiple classes of learning songs, and lots of vocal warm-ups in preparation for this concert. The performance lasted about an hour with the choroletts first, followed by the Chambers singers, then Concert Choir and Chambers together. 

Although the performance seemed to run smoothly it wasn't all that easy to put together. The protocols had to be followed for Covid, and precautions needed to be taken.

All performers had to wear masks, while they sang, as well as socially distance themselves on stage. “We have to make sure the masks are above our noses, and we are socially distanced, but it’s become the new normal to us,” Chambers performer Fabian Hattem explained.

Although the masks did not affect the way the students performed, it can be a challenge at times. “It can get very hot on stage, the masks cause that to be worse, but it's just a small hurdle that we were luckily able to overcome.” Ritacco stated. 

Many wonder if the new Covid protocols continue to affect the performances.  When asked that question, Mr. Gaines had this to say: "If this question was asked a year ago, I would say absolutely - but now that we've been singing with masks and social distancing for over a year, I can confidently say that I do not believe COVID hindered our ability to perform. In most cases, I forget we are even singing with masks and spread out in the classroom. It's become the norm and now I feel that it's a compliment when I receive feedback that our diction is so clear that you can understand us with masks on!" 

The concert was performed at Nutley High School on Tuesday December th with the second one being held Friday December 10th at Saint Mary’s Church, with a substantial crowd. Many parents, siblings, friends, and family members attended to see these students perform.

Some of the songs featured consisted of Sleep, Hallelujah, God Be In My Head, Dashing Away With A Smoothing Iron, Rise Up Shepherd And Follow, and The Work Of Christmas.

The concert as a whole was a hit. Everyone in the audience loved the songs sung. “It really got me excited for the holiday season, I thought the songs chosen were really clever,” audience member Tabitha Marese stated. All songs were chosen by Mr. Gaines except Hallelujah, which is a Nutley tradition. 

Mr. Gaines was also very pleased by his students' performance.  "I was extremely happy with the way the students performed! Admittedly, after not stepping on the stage for two years, I was a little nervous about how we would hold up with the nerves and how they might impact our performance but the kids did a fabulous job!" Mr. Gaines stated. 

The concert was a success with the performers very pleased with their overall performance, and the audience overjoyed with the performance as a whole. The audience members cannot wait to see what the performers have in store for next year.

I'm very interested to see what songs are chosen for next year's concert,” Marese stated. The performers are just as excited to see what they will be preparing for in the future in hopes more concerts can come about throughout the year.