All three BOHS choirs will transform into superheroes, fashionistas, and baseball players under the stage lights of Burbank High School at the Burbank Blast annual choir competition on March 2.
Hosted by the Burbank Youth Vocal Arts Foundation, the first competition of BOHS’s choir season includes both intermediate and advanced divisions, which will allow Tiffany’s, Spellbound, and Masquerade to perform on the same stage and unveil their cinema-inspired sets.
Ryan Okazaki, senior and Masquerade co-president, thinks Masquerade’s set — inspired by the 2005 Disney movie Sky High — will be their most ambitious one to date. “This is definitely my favorite set from my [six] years of being in choir. Our director, [Molly] Gooch, came up with the vision, and she had all these ideas to bring in different characters and create a really fun set,” Okazaki said.
Senior Lilia Lukens, Masquerade co-president, said that preparation for the show relied on everyone, “choir leader or not,” to personalize their bright costumes and animated performances. “[The set] is very theatrical because it’s about superheroes, and it’s also a very bubbly performance,” Lukens said.
Nathaniel Huerta, senior Masquade member, is confident the set will connect with the audience and the competition’s judges. “It’s a silly theme and we got laughs from it during Preview Night,” Huerta said. “It’s entertaining, it’s hilarious, and it [looks] good, so I think we can place pretty high.”
The energy of the Sky High set contrasts with some of the heavier themes of previous years’ sets.
The first competition in Burbank — which is such a big choir show — will be inspiring for our members, both to see other groups perform and to perform for ourselves.
— Alexa Hernandez, sophomore
“That’s not us this year,” Okazaki said of the tonal shift. “We wanted to do something that’s not only fun and uplifting for us to perform, but fun for the audience to watch and follow along with.”
Spellbound’s set is based on the 1992 movie A League of Their Own and draws musical inspiration from the movie’s baseball team — the Rockford Peaches — and 1943 setting.
“The first song, ‘Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy,’ is the most ’40s song ever, and it opens the set with a lot of energy,” Aimee May, sophomore, said. “We have a great group [performing]. Right now we’re just constantly improving and [perfecting] the small details.”
Tiffany’s president Alexa Hernandez, sophomore, believes that Tiffany’s has a shot at winning the competition with their Cruella-inspired performance. With dramatic visuals inspired by the movie’s runway models, choir members strive to bring the film’s fashion-forward themes to life.
“Tiffany’s has worked a lot for this competition set and we have improved a lot. I think the first competition in Burbank — which is such a big choir show — will be inspiring for our members, both to see other groups perform and to perform for ourselves,” Hernandez said.
“We’re excited to compete against a lot of other big choirs,” Monique Diaz, senior and Tiffany’s member, said. “Los Alamitos, Diamond Bar — they are going to be major competition, but it’s fun to feed off their energy.”
Peyton Deck, senior, performs with all three choir groups. Deck acknowledged that there’s a lot of contrast in what each group is performing, from themes to vocals to choreography; but that diversity is tied together by storytelling.
“Each set is a story, and the songs move that story along,” Deck said. Compared to previous Burbank competition experiences, she believes that this weekend’s event is going to be “really solid for all three groups.”
As the three choir groups make last-minute refinements to their sets, they look forward to the Burbank competition, expecting to perform with storylines and characters that will not only impress the judges, but build momentum for the upcoming competition season.
