After watching Music Corporation’s “Jazz without Elephants”, I was curious about what other productions the musical group would perform. On May 2 and 3 the men and women of Music Corporation sang and danced their way to the culmination of their second semester efforts.
Before the singers of Music Corporation were introduced, the instrumentalists played a jazzy introduction on the keyboard, drums, bass, guitar and brass. SING immediately differentiated itself from “Jazz without Elephants” show when the four choral groups – bass, tenor, alto and soprano – emerged to stand upstage on a set of steps; at “Jazz without Elephants”, the singers sat on stools for the majority of the time.
After the 20 singers were introduced, with five members in each choral group, they performed “Light Up the World.” It was highly reflective of the mood and feel of many of the night’s performances to come with its high tempo and familiar stage choreography.
Most of the songs were performed in groups but there were also three solos and one duet. The first solo, “Ain’t No Sunshine”, was sung by junior Kyle Lopez. His talent was obvious in the third verse, where the words “I know” were repeated many times. Lopez was able to deliver the notes in a way that sounded clear and crisp. Senior Paul Hainey sang “Night and Day” by Cole Porter and charmed the audience, once again, with his tonality and vocal prowess.
During the first half, the boys took to the stage to perform “Find the Cost of Freedom.” It was a very mellow performance that sounded almost tribal as the guys chanted the lyrics. The song’s haunting nature contrasted with the all-girl performance of “Rumor Has It” in the second half, where the girls sang very tight, high harmonies with many small solo parts.
The only duet was performed by seniors Chloe Ximenes and Madison Jones, who sang “Halo” by Beyonce. Candles descended from the top of the stage and hovered above the girls for the duration of the performance. Although something sounded off as they harmonized and alternated singing the chorus, both have wonderful voices. Ximenes has a nice, soothing tone and Jones has a powerful register.
Ending the first half of the show was a performance of “Bring Me Sunshine” in which the singers surprised the audience by descending down the aisles before reuniting on stage. The song was very cheerful, included a tap dance and ended in a long and impressive string of vocal improvisation.
Two of the most memorable numbers in the second half were “Midnight Train to Georgia” and “Magalenha.” In “Midnight Train to Georgia” junior Alexia Garza, junior Leighton Millican and Jones impressed the audience with their dramatic and commanding solos. Jones ended the song with a handful of belted notes in a very high register that wowed all and left the audience cheering. “Magalenha” was sung in Portuguese by all of Music Corporation and senior Cam Wenrich led the group with shouts. There was also a very interesting, quick, rapping section in the song.
Some of the negatives of the show were the lack of a solo female performance and the out-datedness of some of song selections, such as “The House is Rockin’” and “Blame It on the Boogie.”
At the end of the show, a big screen dropped down in front of the set of steps Music Corporation was standing on and a slideshow commemorated Music Corporation’s year. After the slideshow, Music Corporation came together to sing “Family” and “Blame It on the Boogie”, ending their show and year on a bright and joyful note. Overall the show had a few hitches but was a fitting exhibition of the talents of some of the finest singers at Plano.
