Next time the  iTunes playlists are exhausted, Spotify has too many ads, and Pandora is no longer amusing, try attending one of the many live musical events that Antioch has to offer. Though small in size, Antioch Community High School is packed with vocal and instrumental talent ready to thrill and entertain.

It is no secret that ACHS has a popular music program, but their performances may surprise some people who think they know what to expect from a concert.

[learn_more caption=”2013 Concert Dates”] Oct. 22- Choir Concert

Oct. 24- Band and Orchestra Concert

Dec. 10- Choir, Band, and Orchestra Concert[/learn_more]

Trey Hickey, ACHS choir director, said the fall concert contains many diverse songs. For example, “She Walks in Beauty” contains text from the nineteenth century poet Lord Byron but was only recently set to music. Some of the choir students are singing the contemporary pop song “Fix You” by Coldplay.

“I am excited for this fall concert, and especially the combined choir piece ‘Bridge Over Troubled Water,’ because the ACHS choir program is the biggest it has been in years,” said Hickey. This year there are one hundred students involved in choir.

“It’s fun to sing in a foreign language and I love the upbeat tempo,” said senior Olivia Guzzardo about “Amavolovolo,” an African tribal piece. As a member of the Advanced Treble Choir, Guzzardo is also singing a medley from the Disney movie “Sleeping Beauty.”

“I enjoy singing Disney songs, it brings me back to my childhood,” said Guzzardo.

Two extracurricular choirs also routinely perform at school concerts and at private venues: Madrigal Choir and Jazz Choir. These groups add an extra flavor to the music set. Attend the choir’s first concert on Oct. 22 and the winter concert—which features choir, band, and orchestra—on  Dec. 10.

Band director Jonathan Untch feels excited for his first concert at ACHS.  Newly hired this year, he has plans for “varied styles of music” and difficult pieces for all of his ensembles: Advanced Wind Ensemble, Wind Ensemble, and Percussion Ensemble.

The music is as varied in band as it is in choir. This year Advanced Wind Ensemble is performing “Smoke and Mirrors,” recently composed in 2012. Untch especially likes this piece, which he says gives the impression of “being trapped in a funhouse.” Senior clarinet player Shaylene McCue describes it as “delightfully eerie,” while others simply call the mood it evokes creepy.

“A Festive Overture” is more lively and celebratory, but was composed much earlier in the sixties. One of the Percussion Ensemble songs, “Kabe,” is an African song about hunting alligators. Listen to these songs and more at the fall band concert on Oct. 24 and the winter concert on Dec. 10.

“I’m looking forward to it,” said  ACHS and Lakes Community High School orchestra director Michael Riggs about their first concert. They will be performing with the band on Oct. 24. Because the high school orchestra program is only two years old, Riggs is the only orchestra teacher in District 117. He travels between ACHS and LCHS, teaching an orchestra class at each and also offering private lessons.

Orchestra music this year ranges from “Frankenstein’s Monstre Repertoire” to “Dia de los Muertos” which draws inspiration from the Mexican Day of the Dead. Riggs said that the fall concert pieces are challenging as well as seasonal; a slightly creepy, foreboding, Halloween-feeling characterizes the music. For example, “March to the Scaffold”  is about a man marching to his death.

“It’s an interesting piece because of the way it flows through the entire orchestra. Each section gets their own little part to show what they can do,” said sophomore viola player Shannon Cacciatore about “Dia de los Muertos.” The orchestra is not afraid to try new ways to make music; in some pieces the string players lay down their bows and clap or flip the bow and tap the string with the wooden side in col lengo.

Aside from the most widely-known ensembles, the ACHS fine arts department has also fostered several student-lead music groups that often perform at concerts like Tri-M Band, Tri-M Choir, and HarMENy. The Tri-M ensembles are part of the Tri-M Music Honor Society, which promotes leadership and volunteerism.

Senior Wesley Skym is the leader of HarMENy, an all-male a cappella group that practices once a week after school and will perform at all choir concerts. The ensemble was started last spring and has aspirations to also perform at the Illinois High School Association Solo & Ensemble competition in March. The students traditionally perform pop songs such as “I Am Yours” by Jason Mraz, which will be featured at the fall concert on Oct. 22.

“I wanted to get more guys into the whole choir program,” said Skym. When asked why students and community members would be interested in seeing HarMENy perform, Skym simply said, “It’s entertaining, fun, funny– it should be enjoyable for everyone.”

In our instant-download, top-twenty-playlist, music-video culture, it can be easy to forget that quality musical entertainment can be found right here in Antioch. Think of it this way: after attending an ACHS concert, you may never have to buy new music or skip an audio ad again.