The audience fell quiet as two figures walked out into the center of the stage. Holding the microphone, Andrew Kim ’26 and Onyx Roden ’27 began to sing “I Guess Why That’s Why They Call It the Blues” by Elton John.
On Thursday, June 11, PHS Choir hosted their annual Cabaret Night, a lively performance to end the year. The concert was a collaborative effort, uniting PHS Choir and musicians from PHS Orchestra and Studio Band for a diverse program of pop, rock, and musical theater songs.
Beginning in 2009, PHS Choir’s Cabaret Night performance was intended to be a departure from the program’s traditional concerts. While the usual concerts throughout the year focused on classical choral music, Cabaret Night moved away from that genre and instead incorporated a different type of singing.
“We were thinking it’d be great to do one more concert, something a little bit more lighthearted ... and really focusing on jazz music, pop music, R&B, and musical theater,” said choir director Vincent Metallo. “So every year we put together a program, [with] completely different repertoire, [with] songs that feature the full choir, and then songs that feature soloists, duos, and trios.”
Although traditional PHS Choir concerts also occasionally feature solos, duos, or trios, Cabaret Night exclusively focused on them, performing songs by artists like Beyoncé, Elton John, and Maroon 5. With the number of small vocal ensembles, the event is a unique opportunity for choir students to sing in front of a large audience.
“Cabaret Night is a really unique experience because a large majority of people who do choir don’t really have the chance to solo ... [so] it’s the only opportunity where you get to show off your range and maybe a style that you’re not familiar with,” said Kim. “It’s kind of that learning experience that helps a lot of people grow. For me, I had to sing a really high tenor song, [and] I was able to learn a new style of music and apply [it] to my vocal range.”
Along with the new styles of music and genres that Cabaret Night brings, singers must also learn new techniques for their songs.
“There’s definitely different ways that you have to sing. There’s some songs that you may need to be more careful about [and enunciate your] words,” said Anna Gniewosz ’27. “And obviously pop songs sound different from [choral music], so there are different techniques you have to use.”
While the choir stands still during traditional concerts, Cabaret Night expanded beyond just singing, incorporating some elements of musical theater as well.
“[Cabaret Night] is a lot different from traditional choir concerts, because for [those performances] you’re usually just standing still, really serious ... [while] during Cabaret Night, the energy is really different,” said Kim. “For the musical set, we’re moving around, we’re dancing, ... we’re allowed to express ourselves more.”
Through incorporating new genres and introducing theatrical elements, Metallo hopes that Cabaret Night can demonstrate that PHS Choir is more than a classical choir, but one that also features diverse genres of music. By doing so, he aims to bring together the wider high school community and explore a different facet of the choir program.
“I think a challenge at any school is that there’s all these sort of separate organizations, whether it’s the football team, the lacrosse team, the chess club. ... Sometimes it’s challenging to bring audiences [together],” said Metallo. “And so we hope that in doing a more versatile program like this, we can [interest] other students who wouldn’t normally come to a choir concert.”
Although the main purpose of Cabaret Night is to fundraise for the following year’s PHS Choir trip, choir members also see it as a fun way to end off the year with an informal and energetic concert.
“I think [Cabaret Night is] just to have fun and have a nice last concert for the PHS choir, and to say bye to the seniors. [The spring concert] was more formal, [but] ... you get to see more personality [in this concert],” said Josiah Hall ’28. “I hope the audience has a good time. ... I think the audience, especially parents, just get to appreciate some more modern music, along with the old 1700s [music] ... we usually sing.”