Treble Choir students performing a set of songs combined with choreography (Caeden Chee / The Puma Prensa)
By Caeden Chee, Staff Writer
Muffled whispers and the sound of dozens of footsteps reverberated across the small, yet grand walls of the theatre. Beneath the presence of the audience, a small, shining light emerged, casting a bright glow on the blue curtains in a circular form. A refined lady in a long black dress walked up to the stage, revealing herself to be Gail Bowers, the choral instructor and director. This show would be the last fall performance of her career, as she headed into the peaceful stage of retirement.
The microphone’s reflection sent sparkles of light into the night of the audience as she introduced herself and spoke about what they could expect from the performance this evening. Her elegant footsteps were met with the first, but not last, round of applause from the audience tonight, as the first performers came into the audience's view: The Bananashop Quartet, as they called themselves.
The Bananashop Quartet performing at the start of the concert (Caeden Chee / The Puma Prensa)
The six members opened the show with their strong voices in a capella songs, setting the mood and expectations high for the remaining performances of the evening. They then gave a brief introduction of the members from Banana 1 all the way up to 7 while mysteriously not talking about Banana 6 (a satirical joke they had practiced).
Following their performance was the Treble Choir. It consisted of 38 members, with 21 of those members having never taken a choir class before. With every song they performed garnering widespread applause throughout the theatre.
The Treble Choir was also supported by Carrillo’s Chamber singers, who played handbells to the hymn “Then Sings my Soul,” which served as a tribute to the losses Santa Rosa suffered during and after the 2017 Tubbs Fire.
The next two acts were dedicated to Bowers’ legacy in teaching music for over 30 years. The first of the two were the Final Bow, who performed a set of songs with a double bass section as a highlight of their performance.
Students of the Final Bow performing songs for the audience (Caeden Chee / The Puma Prensa)
The latter of the two was the Forget-Me-Nots, composed of first-time jazz students, who delivered a suite of cheery songs as a sort of celebration for what Bowers has brought them: a passion for singing and the art of performance which they “will never forget the efforts that Ms Bowers has contributed” to their experience in learning music.
The Forget-Me-Nots enthusiastically performing a song for the audience (Caeden Chee / The Puma Prensa)
Subsequently, their unforgettable show was ensued by the bass choir orchestrated by Ms Bowers herself who at one point stated that “if you haven’t teared up until this point, be prepared,” while grinning slyly to herself. The choir then performed the heartbreaking “Tell My Father,” by Frank Wildhorn, dedicated to all the veterans in the audience that evening and by Asher Treinen and accompanied by violinist Yihe Wang.
Asher Treinen leads the bass choir in the song "Tell My Father", accompanied by violinist Yihe Wang (Caeden Chee / The Puma Prensa)
Afterwards, the Chamber singers presented a series of excellent songs with the most notable being “Babethandaza,” a South African Zulu song about resilience and respecting ancestors. This song used to be performed alongside the New Life Band from Tanzania who raised money for girls schools and education in Tanzania.
Finally, at the end of every choir performance, all the students gathered in the theatre to sing together, a tradition held by Carrillo for many years. Graduates of Bowers’ chorus groups were also encouraged to stand up and perform the historical song: “May You Go Forth in Love” which has been sung since the beginning of the tradition.
The wondrous night of music was received satisfactorily by the audience who clapped their hands after every performance, with the choir students feeling “relieved and happy” that the concert they had prepared for was finally over.