Choir officers hosted the first Hot Chocolate House for students during both lunches on Friday, Dec. 13. During the event, choir members sang a variety of songs while hot chocolate was served to the audience members. The performance was planned and run by Neal Gandhi ‘20 and Sejal Jain ‘20.

“The real reason behind the performances is that I wanted to be able to provide an hour or two before finals for people to relax, and not have to worry about their upcoming tests,” Gandhi said. “Because this [was] the first open house type event, I wanted to make sure that the choir program as a whole was putting it’s best foot forward.”

One notable performance was by five choir members, Katya Lopez ‘20, Elsa Hughes ‘20, Rachel Rusch ‘20, Laney McFadden ‘20, and Nicole Boisseau ‘20. The song, Super Trouper, had a hopeful spirit yet somber undertone. The effect of having eight different performers allowed the song to have an ambience that added to the somber undertones.

“Everyone who was planning on performing practiced their songs right before lunch to make sure the event would run smoothly,” Hughes said. “It was a bit challenging to be heard due to the fact that we didn’t have mics, but we all projected our voices to overcome that obstacle.”

There were also a couple holiday songs sung by members of the various choirs including Jamaican Noel and Christmas Can-Can. In Jamaican Noel, each senior received a solo, which has been a tradition of the Chamber Choir for many years. With an uplifting tone, the song was a great fit for the relaxing atmosphere. Winter Can-Can was a mashup of different holiday songs, with a light and humorous spirit.

The next choir performance is the Vocal Solo and Ensemble performance on Feb. 24 at Pflugerville High School.