Pekin High comes alive with Christmas concert

            The talents of the Pekin High School band and choir brought a little Christmas spirit to the district with their annual concert on Monday, Dec. 18, also featuring several soloist and a couple of interesting song choices.

            The high school band, under the direction of Brenda Hagedon, began by taking the audience on a ride of songs from the classic Christmas book/movie The Polar Express. As they moved into “Auld Lang Syne”, the voices of the choir members joined in concert with the band was a sound that filled the Pekin gym. A medley of other jolly tunes including “Winter Wonderland”, “Silver Bells” and “Christmas Song” closed the band portion of the night.

            Elvis himself might have been in the building, but the spirit of “The King” was blended with the spirit of Christmas featured in a rock and roll medley by the Pekin male ensemble. The girl’s ensemble took a softer touch with “Light of a Clear Blue Morning,” highlighting the vocal talents of Kamryn Fears and Lexi Bowen on clarinet.

            For the first song of the combined choir segment, Vocal Director Derrick White chose a non-Christmas tune by the insistence of his students. “Thank You Soldiers” was first performed by the combined choir during the school’s Veteran’s Day assembly last month, but several had missed the opportunity to sing it for various reasons.

            “We just happened to find that song in the library earlier and it meant a lot of many of the students,” White said. “I wanted to do it again because some kids were unable to perform it that day. They showed the veterans and those who have served our country that it means a lot of them.”

Please view the December 27 issue of The News-Review for the full story. 

Photos from the Pekin High School Christmas Concert are available for purchase on our SmugMug page at https://midamericapublishing.smugmug.com/Sigourney-NewsReview/Pekin-High...