Students perform in Spring for Music finale

Vocal+director+Alex+Underwood+conducts+Concert+Choir+during+the+finale+of+the+Spring+for+Music+Festival.+Freshman+Samantha+Vesper+soloed+in+Home+On+The+Range.

Caitlin Leiker

Vocal director Alex Underwood conducts Concert Choir during the finale of the Spring for Music Festival. Freshman Samantha Vesper soloed in Home On The Range.

The music department wrapped up its first annual Spring for Music Festival at Beach/Schmidt Performing Arts Center on May 7.

“It was well-received by our audiences and it gave the music students at Hays High a chance to share their music with our community,” vocal director Alex Underwood said. “I like the format of a series of concerts that explore different types of music in different venues.”

The audience seemed to enjoy that idea as well. Ben Pfannenstiel, a sophomore from TMP who attended two of the concerts, said that he liked the change of pace from one singular Dinner Show to multiple themed concerts.

“It seemed like the Cabaret was more focused on the vocal ability throughout all of Chamber Singers,” Pfannenstiel said. “I really liked how it was focused on musical theater as well, which is an area that I delve into a lot. Then, after that, the finale featured more of the band and the orchestra. It showed a lot of diversity.”

Underwood said that next year’s festival might be split up into one concert per month during the spring semester in order to give the students, parents, staff, and audience “a little breathing room” between each event.

“I imagine we’ll stick to the same basic concepts: pops large groups, pops solos, classical large groups, and classical solos,” Underwood said. “Perhaps we’ll throw in a larger cohesive work, like this year’s The Little Match Girl Passion, onto the next series as well.”

Another factor of the festival that Underwood said will be better handled next year will be publicity for each event.

Recent Hays High graduate Ivy Walker said that if she had heard of the different concept of “a discounted Dinner Show” sooner, she would’ve made it to more of the concerts.

While there are things that can be fixed with Spring for Music for next year, Underwood said he is still very satisfied with the result.

“I guess I’d raise the bar in terms of efficiency,” Underwood said. “But beyond that, I think I’m always interested in a variety and diversity in the projects we choose to work on. I hope everything we do, regardless of the type of music, is at an excellent level.”

21cleiker@usd489.com