West Ranch Choir ended 2025 with their Holiday Harmonies Concert on Friday, Dec. 12. Amid the slow transition to chilly winter weather, the choir took to the stage. Soon, the theater’s lights went dark, leaving the audience anticipating as choir director Mr. Ornelas lifted his hands and conducted the choirs to begin singing. From holiday tunes to familiar choral favorites, the choir presented a grand array of pieces for their audience in the evening.
To begin the night, both the West Ranch Concert and Treble Choirs joined together to sing a holiday classic titled, “Carol of the Bells,” by Mykola Leontovych, which features each section layering their voices to create a radiating harmony. “I like ‘Carol of the Bells’ the best and nothing can top it because Christmas music is the best music,” West Ranch senior and Concert Choir co-president Anayis Simonyan eagerly explained.
Once the Concert Choir exited the stage, West Ranch Treble Choir began to perform their prepared pieces: “Sigh No More Ladies,” by Ruth Morris Gray, “O Magnum Mysterium,” by Evan Ramos, and “Bring Me Little Water, Silvy,” arranged by Greg Gilpin, which features a solo by freshman Bella Raju. Treble Choir consists of students who fall into the soprano and alto sections, preparing music that is in a higher pitch or octave.
As this choir is a smaller group, each student makes sure to cooperate in order to project their collective sound. Junior Brooke Everitt elaborates on her experiences leading Treble Choir, both as a co-president and as the soprano section leader: “I feel like being able to lead my section and lead the class sometimes just helps me be able to help others love choir as much as I do.”
Many students even take their own solo pieces to the stage, which have been intertwined between each choir group. Senior Treble Choir co-president Addison Kohl was the first of these soloists. “To prepare for a solo I just sing it over and over again, and just go through it in my head right before,” Kohl acknowledged. Kohl performed a song titled “Just Fine,” by Em Beihold.
Afterwards, both of the Rancho Pico Choirs–Chamber and Beginner–took their turns on stage, with Rancho Pico Chamber Choir performing “How Can I Keep From Singing,” arranged by Greg Gilpin, “Bright Morning Stars,” arranged by Jay Althouse, and “Betelehemu,” arranged by Andy Beck. All three pieces featured solos by Valentina Rivera, Grace Hyun, Sophie Arango, Julia Berger, and Ariella Hughes. The last of the three pieces also featured percussion from Chamber Choir students Mahati Sriprasanna and Madilyn Field.
After the Chamber Choir exited the stage, eighth grader Sasha Chen stayed on stage to perform her solo act. Chen prepared Christina Perri’s “A Thousand Years,” and, once she concluded her performance, the Rancho Pico Beginner Choir took to the stage.
Rancho Pico Beginner Choir also prepared three pieces: “Down to the River to Pray,” arranged by Sheldon Curry, “A Million Dreams,” From “The Greatest Showman,” by songwriting duo Benj Pasek and Justin Paul and “Tue Tue,” arranged by Ruth Morris Gray. The Beginner Choir featured soloists Aliya Baayoun, Olyvia Henry, Ella Kim and Jonah Eagle, along with percussionists Jayla Jordan and Amiroop Ranauta.
Between this Rancho Pico Choir and West Ranch Concert Choir was a duet act by eighth graders Sophie Arango and Rex Chang. The two performed “The Other Side,” also from “The Greatest Showman,” and was composed by John Debney and Joseph Trapanese.
Following these acts was West Ranch’s Concert Choir. This group features students with every range, from the lowest bass voices to the highest pitched sopranos. The Concert Choir performed three pieces “Te Deum,” arranged by Ruth Morris Gray, “Count the Stars,” by Andy Beck and “Music, Lead the Way,” by Laura Farnell, which includes a solo by freshman Charlotte Dorio.
“I think it’s fun leading the sections,” Senior Concert Choir Co-President and Alto Section Leader Gwendelyn Dorio recalled. Dorio also explained her process when leading alto sectionals: “Usually we go into our own rooms and I count us in and we sing together. I give feedback, I ask for their feedback, and we go from there.”
The next West Ranch soloist was Junior Gabriella King, who is also in Concert Choir. King performed Chappell Roan’s “Kaleidoscope,” demonstrating her voice’s alto range in between the choral music, which is more uniform and blended between each vocal part.
While many of the group pieces from the concert were holiday themed, they all demonstrated the strength of West Ranch Choir. “Holiday Harmonies is the title, but not everything is a holiday song,” Mr. Ornelas declared. “I’m trying to pick music that’s good for where they are in terms of their skills.”
Mr. Ornelas chooses pieces that are both entertaining, and a good fit for students’ voices. “This concert is the only concert of the fall semester, and for several of the groups, this is either their first or second performance. So, for the music we are performing in this concert, we’ve actually been working on it all semester long,” Mr. Ornelas concluded.
Although not every piece is a holiday song, all four choirs combined to end the night with three more melodies: “Hanukkah Shalom,” by Ruth Elaine Schram and Linda Marcus, “New Year’s Day,” arranged by Jacob Narverud and “We Wish You a Merry Christmas,” with the traditional arrangements by Arthur Warrell.
Like many of the concerts from the performing arts groups at West Ranch, “Holiday Harmonies” entranced the audience with each piece. “I was at the concert to support my brother and my friends, along with my family,” sophomore Alphonse Cao clarified. “They had amazing voices, brought energy to the audience, and overall, I had a fun time!”
Even Rancho Pico students who were in attendance shared their input on the concert: “I was there to take photos for yearbook,” eighth grader Caitlin Viudez explained. “I definitely would have gone even if I didn’t have to, though. I thought their performance was amazing; they did a great job.”
While West Ranch Choir’s Holiday Harmonies ended that evening, they have many events planned for the upcoming spring semester. Cats, if you missed the choir’s Holiday Harmonies, make sure to stay tuned for their upcoming events after winter break.
