Join Island School’s three choral ensembles, composed of 110 students in grades four to 12, as they return to the stage at Kauai Community College on Wednesday, April 17, to present their 11th annual spring concert.
“We are Glorious” is one of the chorus’s most eclectic concerts yet, showcasing folk and gospel songs as well as music from films, Broadway and pop traditions.
“I started the choral program when I came to Island School in 2006,” said director Philip Steinbacher, “so technically this is our 13th year in existence. The first two years, however, we were still sort of a fledgling group, still getting grounded. We sang a few songs here or there at school events or assemblies, but didn’t really give a full-scale concert until Christmas of 2008.”
That first concert, to a packed audience in Island School’s main hall, proved to be a success, and they immediately moved to the KCC Performing Arts Center for their first spring concert in April 2009. They had to perform their last few concerts at local hotels, as the KCC PAC was unavailable.
“The chorus students and I are so excited to return to our home at KCC,” Steinbacher said.
Music for “We Are Glorious” was selected for its capacity to inspire and uplift.
“Like most directors, I create concerts thematically. The seed for a concert’s theme usually shows up in one particular piece of music I’m listening to or mulling over,” he said. “I then build the program from there, finding other pieces that support and complement that one piece.”
This concert was built from a piece of music Steinbacher kept listening to while riding his bike. It contains the line “we are glorious,” and it instantly moved him.
“It led me to think of other uplifting and inspiring compositions, and from there the program grew. If you look — and listen — closely, you will see that each piece in the program builds on that idea — that human beings are glorious creatures and that our uniqueness and humanity should be celebrated,” he said.
“We Are Glorious” is accompanied by Rose Alfiler-Taboniar. Tickets are only available online at bit.ly/2OHzaM7 and go on sale April 10.
Want to go?
WHAT: “We Are Glorious”
WHO: Island School Alaka‘i Chorus, Island School ‘Opio Chorus, Island School Keiki Chorus
WHERE: Kauai Community College Performing Arts Center
WHEN Wednesday, April 17, 6:30 p.m.
TICKETS: Adults (18+) $12; Youth (ages 3-17) $6