West Salem High School

On December 16 and 17, 2009, West Salem High School presented a choir/​orchestra concert, «Winter at West.» More than three hundred performers took part.
«Winter at West» showcased West Salem’s several choirs. If it becomes an annual event, and so long as the choir director, Mr. Jesse Angelo, remains at West Salem, we recommend this concert to anyone in the area. Anyone, that is, who can get tickets. The auditorium was nearly filled and this was Mr. Angelo’s first year as choir director. Word of this event will get around.
The string orchestra was supplemented with an unusual percussion section, discerned with difficulty through the strings, which seemed to be some kind of hand drums, probably goblet drums. The orchestra’s above-​average performance included two instrumental pieces.
Primarily, however, the orchestra supported the choirs. Secondarily, it supported three guest soloists. The first played a piano, the second a harp and the third a domra, a Russian stringed instrument that looks a bit like a mandolin.
West Salem’s choirs — half a dozen or more, some large, some small — were outstanding, and the concert was by no means limited to the usual holiday carols. Some selections were familiar but most were not. Compositions ranged from the English Renaissance (in a piece composed by William Byrd, a contemporary of Shakespeare) to the Twentieth Century. Most were in English but three were in foreign languages: Russian, Hebrew and — well, I’ve forgotten the third.
Some pieces were sung a capella but most were supported by the orchestra. Sometimes choirs were combined or supported one another. Attacks and cadences were sharp. Some pieces were slow, some were fast. Some were simple, some were complex. Some were small and some were massive. All were superbly sung.
In sum, under Mr. Angelo’s animated conducting, the performance was stunning, far above anything you would expect from high school choirs. Mr. Angelo obviously inspires his students with the belief that they can do anything professional choirs can do – and, with a lot of work on their part, they do it. Hear them while you can. Mr. Angelo may receive some very serious and tempting offers from outside the school district.