Regis High School’s ‘Fiddler on the Roof’

The Bobby G Awards celebrate outstanding achievement in Colorado high-school musical theatre. The sixth annual awards take place at 7 p.m. Thursday, May 24, at the Buell Theatre. (Reserve your seat here)

Each year, we single out one category for further recognition on the NewsCenter. This year, we are spotlighting the five schools nominated for Outstanding Performance by a Chorus with a Q&A with each school’s Choral Director. Next up: Regis Jesuit High School‘s Fiddler on the Roof in Aurora.

REGIS JESUIT HIGH SCHOOL

Fiddler on the Roof
Karen Wuertz, Choral Director and Performing Arts Department Chair

• How does one become a Choral Director, anyway? Typically, by studying choral music in college. I have a Bachelor of Music Education degree with an emphasis in Choral Music, and a Masters in Music Ed. It would be hard to be a choral director without having formally studied choral music and vocal technique. Also, our Choral Director is chosen from within our performing-arts department. We rotate every year.
• Which singing range is hardest to find at your school? We have lots of sopranos, tenors and baritones, but true basses and altos are hard to come by when working with teenagers. 
• What is the value that a full and robust (and on-key) chorus brings to an overall production? A more authentic sound, especially when supported by a pit band.  Being able to spread the chorus out all around the stage depends on singers being able to stay in tune and keep their parts.
• What’s the one thing you wish people knew about the chorus of a high-school musical production? The quality of the chorus really makes or breaks any show. Also, that rehearsals with the music is constant from beginning to end. We make time every rehearsal to sing.
  
• What do you say to a student who is disappointed to be ‘only’ a chorus member? The chorus is so much fun! You’re on stage a lot, and you get costume changes. Also, we are an ensemble company here at Regis Jesuit. No matter how big or small the role, it is a privilege to be in the show in the first place. Although there are always a few who are disappointed. I encourage them by telling them: “Enter the process with an open mind and open heart — you will make some of the best friends you will ever have. Make the best of it. 

• What is the greatest chorus performance you have ever witnessed? Hamilton on Broadway (above).

Reserve your seat for the May 24 Bobby G Awards

• What does it mean to your kids to be nominated for a Bobby G Award as a choral ensemble? It shows that our ensemble is tight and strong. And that their hard work paid off.
• What has this experience taught you about the value of music education and extracurricular activities at your school? They give kids incredible ways to discover themselves, and to connect with one another and with the world.

Video produced by Jorge Paredes ’18 of RJ Media

Selected recent coverage of the Bobby G Awards:

• 2018 Bobby G Award finalists are announced
• 2017 Bobby G Awards: Persistence pays off at Valor Christian
• Video: The 2017 Bobby Awards welcoming montage
• Videos: Complete coverage of the 2017 Bobby G Awards
• 2017 Bobby G Award finalists are announced
• Mamma Mia‘s Cashelle Butler returns to Cherry Creek High School
• Authentic voices: 2017 student playwriting winners announced

Our series of featured Outstanding Chorus nominees

• Brighton High School’s Once On This Island
• Fairview High School’s Bring it On: The Musical
• ThunderRidge High School’s Once Upon a Mattress
• Chaparral High School’s Rodgers + Hammerstein’s Cinderella
• Regis Jesuit High School’s Fiddler on the Roof
  

Meet our nominated Outstanding lead actors and actresses:

• Jeremiah Garcia, Pomona High School, Arvada
• Elisha Horne, Vista PEAK Preparatory, Aurora
• Coco Justino, Denver School of the Arts
• Anton Karabushin, Eaglecrest High School, Aurora
• Abby Lehrer, Castle View High School, Castle Rock
• Isabella McArdle, Liberty High School, Colorado Springs
• Daelyn Nace, Fort Collins High School
• Dominique Smith-Lopez, Vista PEAK Preparatory, Aurora
• Travis Turner,  Fossil Ridge High School, Fort Collins
• Will Warner, Lakewood High School

More Colorado theatre coverage on the DCPA NewsCenter