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As the lights in the theater dimmed and faded to black, audience members awaited a concert promising them joyful sound. And on Thursday, the choirs filed on stage and delivered.

“The title of the concert, [Sing Joyfully], was named after one of concert choir’s pieces,” Delaney Katz, junior Concert Choir member, said. “I think that really encapsulates this concert as a whole. Both the choirs and the audience felt a lot of joy as our love of music really shined through.”

Sing Joyfully united all but two choirs of the school, including Concert Choir, Men’s Choir, Treble Choir, Women’s Chorale, and Cadet Choir, according to Katz. Since their last performance, choir members prepared daily in class, along with additional practices before and after school, according to Adrian Campos, senior Men’s Choir member.

“As a whole, we definitely felt and were prepared,” Campos said. “You always have your doubts when you perform, but [our practice] made us all ready and we knew what to do.”

There was no need for doubts. Each choir successfully performed their songs, paired with solos and hand claps, to tremendous applause. One of the more popular pieces of the night, “Past Life Melodies,” aimed to wow the audience with a unique twist on traditional choral music, according to Katz.

“It involved something called overtones, which is basically when your voice sings a very high pitched note while singing a lower note at the same time,” Katz said. “It was difficult because none of us had ever done it before but I’m glad we took that risk. The choirs and the audience definitely loved it.”

Practice truly made perfect, Katz and Campos agreed. After working constantly on their choir’s individual pieces, finally being able to come together and share a stage reminded them why they really love music, according to Campos. “Each individual choir had something to bring to the table,” Campos said. “It’s difficult to practice separately and then perform together, but we really came together as an ensemble, and I was so proud.”

As the choirs felt a sense of community performing under the lights of the stage, they hoped their passion for music united everyone in the audience as well, said Katz.

“Songs are poetic and the words speak to many,” Katz said. “I really loved sharing the beauty of music with others. That’s really what choir is all about.”