MUSKEGON TWP. - The Reeths-Puffer High School vocal music program has entered a new era with a new director, but the students’ passion to perform and carry on their tradition of great shows remains the same.
For years the R-P choirs were directed by Regina Schlaff, a beloved figure at the school and in the community.
Schlaff retired at the end of the last school year and passed the baton to Josh Danielson, a 23-year-old recent college graduate with a burning passion to direct vocal music at the high school level.
Now Danielson is about to experience a big highlight of his first year, directing the R-P choirs in the annual “Candelight Carol Concert” on Sunday at 7:30 p.m. in the high school theater. Admission is $5.
New R-P choir director Josh Danielson
Danielson is pumped up about showing off his choirs after nearly two months of preparation for the big show.
“I am very excited, and I’m very proud of the work the kids have put in,” said Danielson, a graduate of Midland High School and Eastern Michigan University. “They have really risen to the challenge of doing things in a little bit of a different way than they have in the past.”
Danielson admits it has been a challenge to get to know the students and win them over to his style and musical philosophy, particularly following in the footsteps of a legendary director.
R-P choir members practice during their final rehearsal on Friday night.
Young musicians become very attached to their directors, and change can be jarring, Danielson said.
“Taking over a program of this size and this quality is tough, and to take it over from someone who had been here that long, there are a lot of challenges to it,” he said. “Kids get very used to a certain leader they love and respect, and having someone new is a challenge for a lot of people.
“I myself went through a director change midway through my high school time, and I know it’s a difficult thing to do.
“But I would say, at this point in the semester, we have become very acclimated to each other, and I have come to really love the kids here, and the community. We have spent a lot of time building relationships.”
Danielson and the R-P choirs already have one performance under their belts – the annual fall concert in October – but the holiday show is much more involved and a much bigger challenge.
The fall concert, for instance, had nine songs. Sunday’s “Candlelight Carol Concert” will feature 26 songs, with an intermission break.
Four student choral groups will perform. The list includes the well-known Madrigals (soprano, alto, tenor, bass), an elite group of vocalists who audition for membership and have gained a reputation for great performances over the years.
Vocal Fusion (soprano, alto), another group of auditioned singers, will also perform, along with Camare (tenor, bass) and Nova Choir (soprano/alto), two groups of younger singers who are developing their skills.
The choirs will be accompanied by the Reeths-Puffer Jazz Band and Burnished Brass, a local professional brass quintet. Both instrumental groups will also perform several numbers on their own.
There are currently about 100 students in the R-P vocal program, and they displayed a lot of energy on Friday night when they met for a final rehearsal before Sunday’s show.
Part of their excitement comes from the enthusiasm that audiences have always had for the “Candlelight Carol Concert.” Music and the Christmas spirit go together, and people love to hear holiday tunes, particularly when they are beautifully performed by skilled musicians.
“It’s super fun,” Danielson said. “We have a great time. It gets people in the community in the holiday spirit. We are a pillar of holiday spirit for a lot of folks, and that’s special to us.
“We started learning the music around the end of October. It’s been a lot of work. The kids have been putting in a ton of time.”
The R-P choirs will have several more exciting challenges over the next few months, following the holiday show.
Burnished Brass. a professional quintet, which will perform with the choirs on Sunday.
They will have four more performances at the high school, in February and March, and two in May.
The highlight of their year, for the Madrigals and Vocal Fusion, will be a trip to New York City in April to perform with other selected high school and college choirs at Carnegie Hall.
Having that special opportunity has added a lot of motivation for the young R-P vocalists, according to Danielson.
“This is a great opportunity,” Danielson said. “It’s going to be a fantastic choral experience, and to me travel is an important part of the educational experience. I hope it’s a life changing experience for some of the kids.”