Nine School Choirs Perform in First Ever District Showcase

The beginning voices of elementary students on up through the well-trained sounds of high schoolers filled the auditorium at Murrieta Mesa High School Friday for the district's first ever Choral Showcase.

Choirs from Cole Canyon Elementary, Murrieta Elementary, Shivela Middle School, Thompson Middle School, Warm Springs Middle School and Dorothy McElhinney Middle School enjoyed the chance to listen to their peers and perform for them as well. The Vista Murrieta High School Advanced Men's Chorale, Murrieta Mesa High School Chamber Choir and Murrieta Valley High School Chamber Singers were also showcased.

Parents, grandparents and district officials came out to watch the show. Each school sang two numbers. All enjoyed seeing the reactions of the students to the performances as they erupted in applause for each group.

"Not only were the elementary children impressed with the middle and high school choirs, the middle and high school choirs were impressed with the quality of the performances by the elementary choirs," said Murrieta Valley Unified School District Spokeswoman Karen Parris.

Jeff Kopasz, choir director at Murrieta Mesa High School said, “I got my start out in an elementary choir watching a high school show choir on stage.” 

He added that for many of the students who attended, it was their first opportunity to sit through a choir festival.

All choirs joined together for one last song, singing "America the Beautiful."

Before that, the Murrieta Valley High School Chamber Singers awed the crowd with "Hold On" in A capella by Stacey Gibbs.

Murrieta Valley's Chamber Singers, directed by Jaclyn Johnson, is traveling to Chicago March 9-12 to perform at the national conference. The invitation is the highest possible honor for a choir group to garner. 

Parris praised all the choirs, as well as their leaders for coming together as one for this first-ever, all district showcase.

"It was a dream come true for choir directors and a wonderful opportunity to see the incredible talent we have in the district," Parris said.