Amador students performed in the Honors and Chamber chorus groups in the Cantabella ‘Winter’s Light’ Concert at the Valley Christian Church on Dec. 10, 2022. The Church matched the theme by decorating the stage with Christmas lights and trees. 

Honors and Chamber Choir students performed classic Christmas songs such as Deck the Halls, Here We Come-A-Caroling, and Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas. 

“I really enjoyed the traditional French carol (Quelle Est Cette Odeur Agreable). I pretty much enjoyed the entire performance. I also really liked the atmosphere and the Christmas and the lights,” said an audience member who chose to remain anonymous. 

The choristers demonstrated the bonds they made in the CCC program through light and melodious Christmas tunes. 

“I’ve gotten a lot of experience in all different kinds of music and also it really helped with my teamwork because being in a choir, you have to learn to work with others, and it’s nice to be part of a group,” said Tho Nguyen (‘23). 

The concert marks the first show organized by new Cantabella director Clement Cano.  In the last four months, Cano’s new and different approach to singing left an impact on his students, who really enjoy the way he teaches. Cano focuses more on the way his musicians sing instead of how they sound. 

“Mr. Cano’s style is much different from our old director. He focuses more on expressions and the style of how you sing and not so much on the memorization. More emphasis on the tone and style,” said Honors Choir chorister Jia Barshney (‘24). “He’s made us more aware of where you should smile and like where you should emphasize these certain points to make the music not just into like a beautiful song, but into a story.”

During the concert, Cantabella’s founder talked about getting the choir back on track after the pandemic, thanks to the great support from all the staff and directors. Board President Denise Leddon announced that they have arranged for Cantabella choristers to perform the national anthem at the Golden State Warriors game in late December, and the staff are exploring possibilities of competing in Europe next summer. 

“Cantabella has a lot of great musicians and a great, great support staff that I’m blown away with. It’s truly impressive and they’ll only grow even more as musicians if they continue,” said Cano.