With Christmas coming, the Odessa High School’s Broncho Legacy will be filling the Performing Arts Center with song Dec. 10 and 11.
The theme this year is “What Christmas Means to Me.” Shows will be at 7:30 p.m. each night. Admission is $10 for adults and $5 for students and children.
The show includes 16 vocalists, three ensemble managers and two sound technicians, Head Choir Director Ginger Storey said.
The Associate Director is Rob Rodgers.
Storey said the ensemble managers work behind the scenes during rehearsals and the show.
“They kind of act like a stage manager in a way. We have three that will be helping us with that this year and that’ll be good,” Storey said.
She added that they have always had students that came in to help, but they weren’t a part of the class.
“This year, we made it a part of the class because we wanted them to … really be a part of the group,” Storey said.
There can be an understudy element to the ensemble manager role in that one manager was moved up to vocalist because a vocalist dropped out at the beginning of the year, Storey said.
The sound technicians also are part of the class.
The shows will be in person this year and they are performing on two nights because that will enable them to space people out.
Audience members will not have to wear masks unless they choose to, she said.
The show features four group numbers and each student will have a solo. They will dress up as various Christmas characters such as Mr. and Mrs. Claus and elves. There also will be reindeer, snowflakes and angels and more.
“It’s like a variety show. They come in and we start off the show with a big group number, which is ‘What Christmas Means to Me,’ and then we’ll go into the solos; probably a group number towards the end, if not the very end of the first act. We’ll have an intermission. We’ll start off the second act with a group song. Towards the end of that, we’ll have another group number and then a reprisal of a group number at the very end with the solos all in between,” Storey said.
There aren’t any skits for this concert.
“It’s just straight up music,” she said.
“… I think it’s going to be a fun show. We have a really good group this year,” Storey added.
They started working on the show in October to get the group numbers down. The students had their solos picked out in October, as well.
“And so after that, I have to just make sure that we have a band and … all of the auxiliary things ready to go for that,” Storey said.
The band is a professional group, but there is a band student, Ezaiah Cisneros, serving as drummer.
Musicians in the band are Karen Eychaner, on the piano; Jacob Garcia on keyboard; Johnny Saldivar playing guitar; and Caleb Williams on bass.
Alyssa Brindley, a 17-year-old senior, is in her second year in Broncho Legacy.
Brindley said she’s excited about the upcoming show.
“It’ll be my senior year and I just want to make it the best year that I can. But I think we’re pretty prepared for that to happen,” Brindley said.
She’s glad that the show will be in person.
“We had an in person one last year as well, but I think this will definitely be bigger than last year just because we have a bigger ensemble. And I think we’re just going to have a bigger show than last year,” she said.
Brindley added that all the hard work the students have put in is what will make the show special.
“We’re putting in all the work to learn the songs and the choreography and to showcase our individual talents with our solos as well, but also just show that we belong in this group,” Brindley said.
Storey said there will be another Legacy show at the end of the year, but it is a bittersweet experience for Brindley.
“I’m sad because a lot of these people are the same from last year and then a lot of them are new. I’ve made connections with a lot of them. I’m going to miss them … because I’m leaving next year. I’m just trying to make the most out of this year,” she added.
Seventeen-year-old junior Caitlin Fitzgerald is in her second year with Broncho Legacy, as well.
“I think the songs are really fun. They’re not all traditional Christmas songs; very different and more exciting, I think. I think it’ll be a really fun show,” Fitzgerald said.
She added that the show will be entertaining for everyone.
“I would say it’s really good for families to come watch because … it’s family friendly and there’s going to be good music. Everyone likes Christmas music. It’s a good way to get in the holiday spirit,” Fitzgerald said.
Like Brindley, she said she’s glad people can attend the shows live.
“… Online was really hard for everyone. I feel like, so being in person it’s a lot easier to make friends and get along with everybody,” Fitzgerald said.
