The beginning of the school year is a time of transition for all students, but for LT Choir members, it’s especially challenging due to the closeness of their first concert. The Blastoff Concerts will take place on Sept. 26 for the freshmen and sophomores and on Oct. 15 for the juniors and seniors. Both concerts will take place in the NC Reber Center at 7:30 p.m. 

“We intentionally schedule the SC Blastoff Concert early in the year with the goal of giving the sophomores and especially the freshmen a performance to work toward right away,” music director David Hartley said. “They will gain a sense of achievement and success to build upon for the rest of the school year.”

For the first concert, there is no theme, however, the concert will feature pieces such as, “The Pirate King,” from “Pirates of Penzance” by Gilbert and Sullivan; “Look for the Light,” from “Only Murders in the Building,” arranged by Mac Huff; “United,” by Pinkzebra; “Rhythm of Life,” arranged by Richard Barnes, Hartley said.

“People who come to see the show can expect to see a wide array of music that differs in language, style, and meaning,” choir student Virginia Gibbs ‘25 said. 

The weeks leading up to the concert are very intense for the students as they only have about a month to prepare, choir student Jorie Phillips ‘27 said. During these weeks students will spend time learning the notes of each song, dividing into their voice ranges, and memorizing the pieces. 

The Blast-Off concert is just the beginning of this year’s choir activities. Later in the year, they will host their infamous Fanfares and Carols concert in December and take a trip to Ireland over spring break. 

“Every other year, the choir goes on a big group trip somewhere for about a week and performs at different places and goes sightseeing,” choir student Cassidy Selig ‘26 said. “I think the Ireland trip is an amazing experience because it creates new friendships between people and forms bonds with not only your classmates but the under and upperclassmen as well.”

The choir students hold a big passion for what they do, and everyone has a different story about why they joined and what keeps them motivated throughout the intense and work-filled school year. 

“I’ve been doing choir since I was in fourth grade and joining choir in high school was one of the biggest things I looked forward to,” Phillips said. “Singing with others who also enjoy being in choir makes the songs and concerts so much more meaningful. I wanted to join to do what I love, with people who have made me feel a part of this amazing community.” 

Although this first concert is a lot of work for the students, the choir directors, Hartley and John Musick, are hopeful that their students will rise to the occasion.

“Mr. Musick and I are very proud of all of our students, and the sense of community that we all build together in the LT Choir family brings us so much joy,” Hartley said.