The Lassen High School Choir will be holding their annual Christmas Concert this Friday, December 12th, and choir Conductor Ben Wade is inviting the community to join them as the students lift their voices to the holiday spirit.
The performance will be held at the United Methodist Church starting at 6:00p.m. Admission to the concert is free, though donations to the program are always welcome.
“We want to give our hearts and our joy from the high school to the community,” explains Wade.
Preparation for the holiday season begins early for the students. According to Wade, “Each October I start pulling out Christmas songs and they think I am crazy. We start putting together a program and work for about two months on the music.”
A Program of Resilience and Growth
The LHS Choir currently boasts 20 members, a significant recovery and achievement following the difficulties of the pandemic years.
“During Covid the choir had to sing outside, with masks, and our numbers plummeted to five,” details Wade. “Imagine, at that concert we had to sing 5-6 songs, and it was rough going, but I had some amazing pioneers of the program who held it together.”
Wade notes that the LHS Administration has always been very supportive of the choir, maintaining faith that the program would eventually grow. That faith has paid off; the music department started with just under 30 students and has since swelled to over 130 participants.
“I feel blessed to be a part of the student’s journey through high school, making my class a safe, challenging and inspiring environment for all those who cross thru the threshold into the world of music,” says Wade.
He also credits his ability to lead the program to family support. “One of the most special things for me personally is that when my father passed away, my mom Cherri Wade moved to Susanville. This made it possible (with a young family) for me to feel comfortable taking over the music program at LHS.”
The Music
This year, the choir is set to perform thirteen songs. The setlist includes holiday classics and choral favorites like Little Drummer Boy, Silent Night, Sing We Now of Christmas, Something Told the Wild Geese, Sanctus, Footprints in the Snow and Beautiful December.
In keeping with tradition, the concert will conclude with a piece titled Christmas in Three Minutes. Wade invites all past choir members in attendance to come up and perform this final number with the current students.
Don’t miss the LHS Choir this Friday, December 12th, at 6:00p.m. at the United Methodist Church.
