As senior Kenna Gay stepped up on the stage, guitar in hand, she took a deep breath, and began to sing. 

On Oct. 11, chorus held their annual Pop Concert, opening with a duet of “Love Shack” by senior Mac Anderson and sophomore Megan Anderson and closing with “Surface Pressure” from Encanto by the Voices of Hagerty. Principal Robert Frasca made a guest appearance, performing the first lines of “Surface Pressure.” 

The fifth to perform, Gay sang an original song, “You Look So Nice Tonight,” a song about loving someone although they might not be the best for you. Gay first began writing the song last year, spurred on bursts of creativity. 

“I’ve always grown up around music. I’ll just think of a melody in my head and be like, Oh, that’s cool. Let’s see where that goes,” Gay said. 

Although she has performed before, Gay was excited to improve her confidence onstage and gain more experience as a singer, a career she wants to pursue in the future. 

“I [want to] get more comfortable onstage, especially doing original stuff. For me, it’s always nerve wracking to perform,” Gay said. 

Other performances included “Unbreak My Heart” by senior Ciara Bibbs and “Fool Me Once” by senior Lily Joseph. Joseph, who performed solos for the previous Pop Concerts before, said she loves the connection between the artist and the audience that a solo can give. 

“It just feels so good to be up there sharing a story that I love,” Joseph said. “I’m really passionate about my solo, the message that it sends and the feelings that the artist is trying to portray through the music. I was so excited to share my story with the audience through that.” 

Preparations for the concert began back in late September, when auditions for the concert were held. Out of 58 acts and 65 students who auditioned, 17 were given solos, in addition to the three choirs performing. According to chorus teacher Christopher Hickey, when choosing what songs to perform, he looks at the abilities of each student and what he thinks the class will like. 

“I looked at who was in the class like what voices. Do I have all sopranos and altos or do I have sopranos and tenors and basses? And I looked for things that were popular, things that we could learn within a month and also choreograph within a month,” Hickey said.

The three choirs rehearsed every day in class up to the performance date, including a rehearsal all day after school on Oct. 10. 

“We work on individual growth every day. I don’t want you to sound like Beyonce. I want you to sound better than you did yesterday,” Hickey said. 

Both Gay and Joseph put in extra work outside of school for their solos, whether it was practicing the guitar or piano, which accompanies Joseph’s song. Although it takes much time and dedication, Joseph loves chorus because of the community. 

“I love the people and the family experience because it’s not like that everywhere,” Joseph said. “We all just really love to be there and we all love to sing. It’s just a great place to belong.” 

Chorus will hold their next concert on Dec. 6 at 7 p.m. Tickets will be sold at the door for $5.