The Springtacular was held on April 8 in the Morris Knolls auditorium at 7 pm. The event showcased performances from the art departments at both Morris Hills and Morris Knolls, revolving around the theme of celebrating unity through history’s greatest challenges.
This event was truly empowering, highlighting the importance of kindness and demonstrating how one small gesture could change the world.
The evening was filled with entertainment from the choir, jazz band, dancers, and even had student artwork on sale during intermission. The goal of the event was to raise money to fund senior scholarships within the musical programs and divide any additional money between the ensembles.
The most special part about the event was the collaboration between Knolls and Hills and the effort that went into the final showcase. Our very own music directors worked tirelessly on the repertoire for this performance in constant coordination with their counterparts at Knolls.
Mrs. Uhler, the choir director at Hills, started rehearsing the music with one of her auditioned choirs, Knights Templar, early in the school year. The choral selections for this event consisted of nine songs ranging from broadway musicals, movie soundtracks, and some historically inspirational tunes.
Some recognizable tunes are “You Will Be Found” from “Dear Evan Hanson,” “Seasons of Love” from “Rent,” “A Million Dreams” from “The Greatest Showman,” and “What Was I Made For?” from the 2023 “Barbie” movie.
These selections expressed a message of unity and understanding which was shown through the choir’s great performance at the event.
These tunes featured soloists from both Hills and Knolls with the Hills soloists consisting of Mackenzie George, Kaden Green, and Tiffany Albornoz. Tiffany sang two solos, one in Seasons of Love and the other being Empire State of Mind.
She particularly enjoyed performing Empire State of Mind, as she loves New York City and one day aspires to be on Broadway fully taking in the city’s powerful nature.
Mr. Hartsuiker, Morris Hills band director, started rehearsing the Springtacular tunes with the jazz band in January. Due to the marching band season, the jazz band starts rehearsals in January every year and is open for anyone to participate in.
Mr. H calls the jazz band the “Too Big Band,” as the band is always bigger than an average jazz ensemble. But Mr. H prefers it this way because he believes that if a student is willing to learn the style of jazz, they should be given the opportunity to do so.
For the Springtacular, the band combined with the jazz band at Morris Knolls and played three charts. These pieces included “Respect” by Aretha Franklin featuring vocalist Louise Mintier, a classic jazz band chart, “2nd Line”, and an arrangement of “Born This Way,” by Lady Gaga.
“Born This Way” featured dancers from Morris Hills including Sarah Abrams, Tiffany Albornoz, Caitlain Dillion, Araceli Gomez, Jordyn Charron, Sierra Vaerlezza, and Maria Sullivan. The hip hop dance was choreographed by Sarah Abrams and was a beautiful reflection of her creative energy and passion for dance.
Ms. Jacobson overlooked the dancers during rehearsals and helped the dancers achieve the final product. She truly believed in the potential the group held and supported the group through the entire process.
Morris Hills also featured two solo dancers in the event during the songs “What Was I Made For?” and “Imagine”– sophomore Bella Moreno and senior Sarah Abrams.
These two dancers were absolutely stunning and showed true emotion throughout every graceful movement on stage.
Additionally, Mr. Izsa, the district strings director, conducted the MHRD Symphony Orchestra at the event. The orchestra accompanied most of the musical selections including all of the choir pieces as well as some additional solo music.
This ensemble truly brought the entire event together and was arguably one of the most important pieces of the evening.
Krish Patel, a Morris Hills student, was given the title of concertmaster, also known as the first chair. This position in the orchestra is a high honor for Krish, as he is the lead violin player in the ensemble.
“Playing with an orchestra is how I express myself: each phrasing allows me and other performers to express the stories of those who cannot,” Krish said. “Arrangements with combinations of the jazz band, chorus, and orchestra take the audience and musicians on a journey that I am thrilled to be a part of.”
All in all, the Springtacular was definitely a night to remember and one that will never be forgotten. With special effects, a showcase of pictures, songs of unity, and a great effort from the students, the event was truly a success.
In respect to the seniors, the event served as a conclusion to their musical endeavors in high school. According to Tiffany her favorite part was the ending, during which the cast sang “You Will Be Found” from “Dear Evan Hansen,” while pictures of everyone played in the background.
A truly memorable conclusion to an evening of fantastic music and collaboration, reminding all in attendance that you will be found by a community that gives life to the broken.
On behalf of Morris Hills, we would like to thank everyone who made the event possible and hope that the message of the night will have long-lasting effects for everyone who was in attendance.