On Thursday night, the Green Hope High School Chorus Program returned to the stage for its fall concert, “Turning Over a New Leaf.” 

The performance consisted of songs ranging from Traditional Zulu Gospel to Dolly Parton. Choral Director Mr. Allen Botwick handpicked each piece to emanate the theme of embracing new beginnings and finding strength in unity.   

Green Hope chorus students performed beautiful, heartfelt numbers that gained a standing ovation from the audience when the concert concluded.   

Although the performance lasted around 70 minutes, preparation for the concert took place months before the school year began. 

Mr. Botwick spoke to the GH Falcon about the amount of work that went into bringing the concert to life and the strategic selection of each song. 

“We selected the music back in June and that takes a lot of preparation because we want each piece to have a purpose and also teach the students different aspects of vocal technique,” Mr. Botwick said.

Green Hope chorus member Lucy Tomforde (’24) also shared how much work was put into bringing the concert together.

“We got our music over the summer and have worked hard since then,” said Tomforde.

The chorus program’s hard work paid off, and Mr. Botwick shared how proud he is of his students and their diligent efforts. 

“I’m most proud that the students were able to live in the moment and really soak up being there with people they’ve worked really hard alongside for the past two months,” said Mr. Botwick.

While Mr. Botwick was proud of his students, Tomforde was proud of him and shared how great the chorus community is.

“It is a great class to take, our teacher is wonderful, and I think a lot of people would benefit from being part of this program,” said Tomforde.

Tomforde also shared how proud she was of her fellow chorus members and hopes the audience was able to recognize the special bond she and her classmates share.

“I hope the audience enjoyed coming and were able to see how much of a community Green Hope Chorus is,” said Tomforde. “I am super proud of our performance…and beyond proud of everyone who is new to choir and had their first performance Thursday. I think everyone did a great job and their hard work paid off.”

When asked about what he hoped the audience took from the performance, Mr. Botwick said he hoped the audience left feeling inspired.

“I hope the audience felt inspired to reflect on the last couple of challenging years and think about how we can learn and continue to grow moving forward,” Mr. Botwick said.