During the holiday season, the RM chorus groups keep a busy schedule as they navigate through various events such as their annual winter concert and  singing holiday-themed songs through the halls of RM. The Madrigals, a group composed of all four voice parts (soprano, alto, tenor and bass), even sang at the White House in late December. Some of the songs that will be performed for these occasions include Deck the Halls, Silent Night, We Wish You a Merry Christmas and Jingle Bells.

For junior Shirley Han, a member of the Madrigals, her favorite piece that will be performed is Winter Wonderland, which will also incorporate the Jazz Ensemble.

“I think it’s really cool that we’re having different ensembles collaborate, and I’m having an enjoyable time with that,” she said.

Even with the complex repertoire and mass amount of music students are required to memorize, freshman Natalie Morrison feels that the connections made through the process of learning songs is what makes the environment welcoming.

“It is difficult to learn this much music and perform it all, but with the amazing group of people we have, it is a fun experience rather than stressful,” Morrison said.

Additionally, the Chorus and General Music teacher, Ms. Sidney Clarke, tries to ensure that most preparation for their performances takes place in class. This is due to the other commitments many students have outside of the classroom.

Ms. Clarke is new to RM this year, but she strives to maintain the recurring traditions that the choir ensembles have had in place before while implementing new ones as well. One of these traditions is the singing of Childhood Christmas Favorites, which tends to be a favorite among students and audience members. A new tradition that was introduced this year was performing at the Christmas tree lighting at Rockville Town Center.

“We did it this year, and they’ve already mentioned that they hope we can return next year. [This] is really exciting for us to be a part of the community,” Ms. Clarke said.

Morrison is also excited for the remainder of their concerts and performances. It has been a long process of collaborating and polishing their songs.

“We all have worked so hard on preparing, and seeing our pieces come together slowly has been such a great joy,” she said.