The 47th annual Songfest production, titled All Around The World was full of surprises for all who attended. The performance ran from April 4th - 6th at the Bartholomew Performing Arts Center.
Director Mr. Lester Ray Miller III led a creative and talented group of students which
took months of planning, designing, and rehearsing for the three-night event. Miller
stated, “It has been an absolute pleasure to work with all of the students this year
rehearsing and choosing the music. The hosts and hostesses took great care in choosing
music that fit the theme, pushed them to become better musicians, and grew their knowledge
of other cultures. As always, getting to watch the students in Celebration Singers
use their skills to better each other in the rehearsal process is the best part of
being a conductor.”
Hosting this year’s show were Kaiden Milliken a freshman from Harlan, Iowa, Mallory Myers a sophomore from Rhinelander, Wis., Kinzie Norton a junior from Longview, Texas, and Simeon Tremaine a junior from York, Neb. Each performer brought something unique to the stage as their talents were on full display during a mix of duets, solos and group numbers that fit the show’s theme.
Performances by the Celebration Singers throughout the show provided additional entertainment. Music from England, Ireland, Germany and Sweden was performed by singers;
Ross Fraser, Addison Harrold, Mallory Myers, Kinzie Norton, Maryn Phillips, Jordan Strong, Simeon Tremaine, and Elizabeth Zaiger.
“We chose songs to honor the popular music traditions of other countries. We felt strongly that music that was created by people from these other cultures was much more rewarding to perform than music that just mentions or is about another country or region,” said Miller.
As always, members of York University’s Greek Life put together their own musical renditions complete with choreography to round out the show. Delta Chi Alpha and Kyodai began the club numbers with their “UK Pop Hits” theme, followed by “The Junk Drawer” produced by the women and men of Beta Beta Sigma and Alpha Chi Epsilon (A.X.E). In the second half of the show Omega Phi and Kingsmen gave a lighthearted and comical performance called “Disney World Adventure” and Theta Psi and Sigma Tau finished the evening with a high-energy performance titled “Tacky Tourists Take on the World.” On the final night, it was Theta Psi and Sigma Tau that took home the People’s Choice Award.
The Songfest Committee would like to thank its Sponsors:
Baers Furniture
Cornerstone Bank
Cornerstone Insurance
D. Weber Property Management
EyeCare Associates
Grand Central Foods
Jensen Lumber Company
Kopsa & Otte Associates, LLC
Scott-Hourigan Co.
Self Storage of York
Wagner Decorating
York County Visitors Bureau
York General
Congratulations to everyone who had a part in Songfest 2024 and thanks for putting together such an enjoyable show!