By Deemah Pulak
The audience quieted, leaving the faintest sounds to be heard as Richardson’s a cappella group Legacy took over the auditorium stage. On Monday night, the first choir concert of the school year consisted of students from Richardson High School, West Junior High and Westwood Junior High.
“It feels great to perform on stage because you are not only using your own energy to create, but the energy of the audience as well,” junior a cappella choir member Elizabeth Kraemer said.
The choirs attracted hundreds from the district who attended the concert.
“It is a scary experience because everybody is somehow judging how you sound,” freshman girl’s choir member Clemence Le Mener said.
Although the majority of choir students have been singing for many years, Le Mener said she still gets nervous.
“My advice is to remember that everyone makes mistakes and that some people don’t care how you do, as long as you just sing and do your best,” Le Mener said.
Kraemer said she hasn’t had stage fright since she played a lamb in her pre-school Christmas pageant as a three-year-old.
“You just have to remember that the audience is there to see you do well,” Kraemer said. “They are not looking for you to mess up, but the audience is always on your side.”
The freshmen in choir said they were afraid because it was their first time performing as choir student in Richardson.
“You’ve worked so hard over long weeks, and you get only one chance to show off your work,” Le Mener said.
Senior Legacy member Belisha Gibson, who has been in choir for over 14 years, said she enjoyed the performance.
“I love music, and it’s a wonderful de-stresser with my busy schedule,” Gibson said.
Gibson said choir has taught her patience while working with others to reach a common goal.
“I love hearing all of the voices melt together in perfect harmony,” Gibson said. “It’s glorious to hear.”
Students said they performed well together because they spent time practicing the basic choral techniques – tone, consonants, energy and dynamics.
“I felt great about the concert,” assistant choir director Elizabeth Moore said. “They performed like they were supposed to. Nerves were set aside, and I thought it went really well.”
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