“Here they come a-wassailing, from River Falls High School” |
| Here they come a-wassailing, from River Falls High School Posted: 19 Dec 2010 10:08 PM PST Christmastime is here, and these merry carolers are celebrating it in style. Like something out of a Charles Dickens novel, the River Falls High School Costume Carolers show up at venues each year performing traditional Christmas songs while dressed in Victorian-era attire. Onlookers often stop and stare before breaking out their cameras, said Carolyn Loney, the school's choir director. "First they get strange looks, and pretty soon they get smiles," she said of the carolers. "Little kids are my favorite, because their eyes just sparkle, and they think the girls look like princesses." The group, which dates to at least 1968, is popular with singers at River Falls High School. About 50 students audition each year for 16 spots — eight boys and eight girls — making the singing roles competitive, Loney said. Some singers have wanted to be in the Costume Carolers since they were small. Senior Amy Vesta, 17, recalls seeing the group perform more than a decade ago. "I had seen them when I was in kindergarten or first grade," said Vesta, now an alto with the carolers. "They sounded wonderful and looked like they were having a lot of fun, and I thought it was something I wanted to do." For tenor Evan Miller, 17, his interest in the carolers started with a group's visit to his elementary school. "I was just amazed — they were so mysterious," he said. "I was so small that I honestly had this sense that they (actually) were from the Victorian era."Many of the singers' costumes were handmade by Loney and her mother. If no costume fits a particular student, one will be rented. In addition to the top hats and big skirts, the singers work on their etiquette to project an aura of 19th-century England. "We walk in pairs, guys and girls, arm in arm," Miller said. "We try to at least put on a character." The students perform a 30- to 35-minute set of traditional Christmas songs of their choice, Loney said, adding that each year the set changes to fit the group's personality. Performances are less about the students' singing abilities and more about presenting familiar songs to the public, Miller said. "Everybody knows what you're singing," he said, adding that onlookers will often sing along. "We don't sing so people can hear us, per se — it's so people can hear the songs." The students perform 10 to 12 times a year across the metro and western Wisconsin. They start rehearsals in October, and shows begin in November. "It's pretty solid performing between Thanksgiving and when our Christmas break begins," said Loney, who has conducted the group for 10 years. The students will perform as part of a choir concert at 7 tonight at River Falls High School. They'll also tour a number of schools and assisted-living centers Tuesday in River Falls. The performances will be the last for the seniors in the group. "It's probably one of my favorite experiences in high school," said Vesta, now in her third year with the Costume Carolers. "I don't regret for a minute joining it." Miller, however, has a regret. "I didn't audition freshman or sophomore year," he said. "And I wish I would have." Andy Rathbun can be reached at 651-228-2121. This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service — if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read our FAQ page at fivefilters.org/content-only/faq.php |
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