Holiday Extravaganza returns

As the weather outside gets colder, GJHS choir students have been warming up their voices for the 23rd annual performance of the Holiday Extravaganza held Dec. 2-4.

“I haven’t seen anything yet but I do know that as far as moving stuff and setting it up, it’s going pretty good,” said Andrew Emerson, a sophomore who is also a part of the Men’s Chorus.

Preparations for the Holiday extravaganza have been taking place for months but now that the Extravaganza is getting closer, the choirs are in full swing preparing for it.

“Mr. Hirsh composed his own version of O Christmas Tree this year and it’s exciting to see that play out especially since it has some German in it. I’m not going to lie though, it has been a bit stressful because this is our big fundraiser for the choirs,” said Sydney Dunlap, who is a junior and a part of the Advanced Women’s Choir.

Due to COVID-19 the 2020 Holiday Extravaganza was cancelled so this year the choirs are working hard to make sure that everything runs smoothly during the show.

“It’s definitely made things difficult. I would say the biggest issue has been mainly getting more people to help,” said Jacob Minium, a senior and a part of the Select Chorus.

COVID and other viruses also affect the singers directly because their instruments are their voices, which can be affected by any illness at any time.

“We’ve lost a lot of people during rehearsal so sometimes [there are] days when there’s only two people in one part and 10 in the other. [It’s also] really difficult to project your voice if you feel sick and choose to wear a mask,” said Dunlap.

Despite the cancellation of last year’s Holiday Extravaganza, the choirs are coming together and supporting each other as a whole this year.

“This definitely brings bonding because we’re together three days for a long time plus setup and cleanup times are times that we can get to know other members in other choirs,” said Dunlap.

The Extravaganza is held Thursday through Saturday, Dec. 2-4 at First Church of the Nazarene, 2802 Patterson Rd. Individual tickets or whole tables can be purchased on the GJHS website under the choir department page. 

“It should be really good and I know that everybody’s been working really hard on it and will give it their best. Everybody that has been practicing should have an amazing payoff and the setup should look splendid by the end,” said Emerson.

The GJHS Choir’s Holiday Extravaganza has a high reputation in the school as well as in the community as a must-see performance.

“My teacher said that Saturday night and Friday night are normally our busiest nights so [I expect that] that we get to share holiday spirit and the joy of singing brings us to the community of Grand Junction,” said Dunlap.

“I think it’s going to be really fun. I think that the crowd is going to love it,” said Minium.

Despite stress felt by the students due to the preparations and performing, GJHS choir students thoroughly enjoy this yearly tradition.

“Honestly, I think we all have a little more fun around this time of year. There’s a lot more to do,” said Minium.