Mr. Carrillo about upcoming COS Fall Festival

This week Redwood’s Ranger choir prepares for the upcoming COS Fall Festival on Thursday October 6th. 

Melchor Carrillo, the choir director says, “COS Fall Festival is a festival where choirs come and they sing 2 to 3 pieces and then they have a clinician.”

Dr. Daniel Jackson is running the clinic this year. He’s a former choir teacher at Mt. Whitney high school, but several years ago moved to Point Loma. 

Carillo says, “Once we’re done singing Dr.Jackson comes up and works with the choir. There are 6 choirs that will be there. He does clinics with each group, and also we get written feedback as well as that clinic time.”

The next festival is on October 19th where the Ranger choir will be singing at a command performance. 

Mr. Carillo says, “Both Chamber singers and Ranger choir are singing at a festival on the 14th of October so we have some time to implement the adjustments he gave us.”

At the festival Ranger choir is going to perform 3 pieces. The first one is “Awake in the harp” by Joseph Haydn, the second one is “Indodana” by Ralph Schmitt, and the last piece is “Alleluia” by Elaine Hagenberg. It’s an 85 voice choir that’ll be singing.

Ranger choir works very hard, and Mr.Carillo tells about challenges they face while preparing, “Coming off Covid everything is challenging. Sometimes music presents some vocal challenges, the literature is difficult to sing. We have this year to get back to those expectations of making high level music that’s hopefully touching people’s hearts.”

He says that the main goal of this event is to learn, “It’s always good to add your first performance under your belt as a choir and it’s a great opportunity. Hopefully the kids come together, that’s what a performance does, it brings people together when everything is on the line”.

Tags: arts, choir, rangers, redwood gigantea, redwood high school, redwood journalism, visalia ca