PCS chorus members perform songs of cheer and hope during their concert at the RI State House.
Students from the Paul Cuffee Lower, Middle, and Upper School choruses dazzled listeners during a public performance at the Rhode Island State House on December 5. Nearly 160 PCS students took part in the concert, which featured holiday and winter-themed songs from a variety of traditions.
Chorus members performed for nearly an hour to laughs, cheers, and applause from an enthusiastic audience. The performance was part of a series of holiday concerts organized by the Rhode Island State Council on the Arts. Students from 45 schools across the state will be performing throughout December.
The performance featured vocal solos by Madigan Breiding and Jorge Guzman. Chris Williams on piano and Diana DeJesus, Jorge Guzman, and Orlandy Perez on drums provided musical accompaniment. Orlando Montalvo served as the student conductor for a portion of the concert. Faculty chorus directors Frances Cruz-Candelario (Lower School), Massiel Méndez and Libertad Vargas (Middle School), and Danielle Trial Lucini (Upper School), who worked for months with students to prepare, presided over the concert.
PCS students have performed at the State House concert series in past years, but the 2013 concert marked the first time that students from all three campuses have participated. Under the tutelage of the directors at each school, the choruses have developed at a rapid pace; the Middle School Chorus, formed this year, performed at the State House for the first time, and participation in the Upper School Chorus nearly doubled in the past year to 30 students.
To see a video of the full performance, visit http://ricaptv.discovervideo.com/embedviews/search?w=640&h=480&c=All&k=cuffee#