Wharton County Junior College Choir members rehearse for their upcoming concert, "Super Hits," which is scheduled for 7 p.m. Feb. 26 in the Horton Foote Theatre on the Wharton Campus. From far left are Lauren Garcia of El Campo, Ariana Moreno of Palacios, Kendra Morris of Sweeny and Rachel Kelly of Palacios.
WHARTON, TEXAS – From Elvis Presley to Lady Gaga, the Wharton County Junior College Choir’s upcoming concert will cover the gamut of popular music from the past half century.
Entitled “Super Hits,” the concert is scheduled for 7 p.m. Feb. 26 at the Horton Foote Theatre in the Duson-Hansen Fine Arts Building on WCJC’s Wharton Campus. The public is invited and admission is free.
WCJC Choir Director Dr. Karl Paoletti said the concert will feature fan favorites from several decades of rock and pop music.
“I thought this music would be fun to sing and also very appealing to our audience,” Paoletti said. “I am very excited about this concert.”
Tunes will include “California Girls” from the Beach Boys, Toto’s “Africa,” Whitney Houston’s “I Wanna Dance with Somebody” and Queen’s iconic “Bohemian Rhapsody.”
The Queen tune, in particular, has proven to be a daunting exercise for the singers. Part of the rock group’s 1975 album “A Night at the Opera,” it combines operatic elements with hard rock riffs and reflective ballads.
“There are lots of key and tempo changes, long sweeping vocal phrases and extreme vocal ranges,” Paoletti said. “This is a challenging piece to sing, but this is probably our favorite song to perform in the program.”
Most of the songs will be performed with piano accompaniment or pre-recorded CD music. The Beach Boys classic will feature a live rock band comprised of WCJC students.
Paoletti is anticipating a good turnout for what’s sure to be a memorable night of entertainment.
“Our students will get an opportunity to sing some of the greatest pop music written in the past 50 years,” he said. “This is really going to be a fun show for the audience and the students.”
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