Saturday festival brings all Frisco ISD choirs together

Students+follow+choir+director+Toni+Ugolinis+instruction+as+they+sing+during+class+in+the+choir+room.+The+program+debuts+their+first+concert+of+the+school+year+at+7+p.m.+in+the+auditorium.

Roy Nitzan

Students follow choir director Toni Ugolini’s instruction as they sing during class in the choir room. The program debuts their first concert of the school year at 7 p.m. in the auditorium.

Kirthi Gummadi, WTV Staff Reporter

There’s a Frisco ISD Marching Band Showcase in the fall and now on Saturday, there will be the first ever choir festival.

Featuring students from every Frisco ISD choir, the festival will run from 3 to 5 p.m. at Stonebriar Community Church.

“The choir festival is the first year we are ever doing it, it is all of the Frisco high schools sending all of their top singers to participate together and we are doing collegiate level music,” choir director Toni Ugolini said. “We are bringing in the UNT choral conductor Dr. Allen Hightower, to work with them, which is really an opportunity which we call a mountain top experience, something we are not able to do necessarily in our everyday choral environment and it gives them a taste of what the next step might be.”

Orchestra students will accompany the choir on one piece, and the elementary honor choir will also be performing giving the choir programs from throughout Frisco ISD to perform on a bigger stage.

“The district pretty much decided to this because we really wanted to be able to support the ability for these large groups masterworks,” Ugolini said. “We really can’t get within our choral setting and it’s just gonna be thus far, it’s already been a really exciting experience, for us and the kids, and I can’t wait to hear it all come together.”

Sophomore Megan Guidry is excited for the opportunity, not only to better her skills, but open up new learning opportunities for the district.

“Working with many really passionate and talented singers across the district is a very neat experience and motivates me to constantly improve,” Guidry said. “I think getting exposure to other choirs is really neat because every program has something different to add.”

Guidry wants to improve as a singer, and thinks the high level if music will no only do that, but showcase talents around the district.

“This festival offers a chance to meet and sing with many other people from different schools. I also think the festival shows the talent and accomplishment the choir programs across Frisco have to offer,” Guidry said. “This weekend will mainly be filled with perfecting the songs we’re singing and preparing for the concert.”

The eye opening opportunity reveals many new dynamics of being in choir for junior Kennedy Williams, and she hopes this higher level experience can help better her and her fellow performers.

“This has helped me discover how it is working with the best of the best. It pushes you to be as good or even better as the people around you,” Williams said. “Many people don’t know this, but the space you sing can change the entirety of how you sound. Working with 200+ singers in a huge church auditorium has forced me to learn how to blend and consistently count so we are all on the same beat.”

This isn’t just a significant step for individual vocalists, but Williams sees it as a way for the Redhawk program to grow as a whole.

“I think absorbing expertise from someone who has a doctorate in music will help our program significantly,” Williams said. “Dr. Hightower is teaching us skills that 22 year olds have the privilege of learning and majority of us are only 16-18.”

Tickets are $5 with a link to buy them available on the FISD website.