Everyone has a favorite holiday song, whether it’s a classic like Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer or Mariah Carey’s “All I Want For Christmas is You”. Whichever song you hold close to your heart, the Columbus North Show Choir brings these songs and memories to life in the winter concert, under the instruction of Mrs.Gafron, the choir director.

“When a choir sings together, everyone’s heart beats the same. It is the most connected to others I have ever felt,” Gafron said. “Since music is already a more emotional subject, it puts me in a position where I can be available to my students whenever they need.”

One of those students is senior Morgan Allen. She has had a passion for choir since fourth grade, and a talent for show choir since ninth grade.

“I love choir because of the family that I have gained through it. In January we will be going to show choir competitions, which means I get to spend all day doing what I love with the people that I love,” Allen said. “We are always goofing around, laughing, singing, dancing, and just having a good time. I know I can be myself around these people and the added bonus is just performing.”

As a senior, this will be Allen’s last Winter Concert here at North, so she plans to make it one she can cherish forever.

“I am super excited because since I am a senior, this is the last Christmas concert that I will be performing in, which makes the night even more magical,” Allen said. “There is a spirit that comes with singing Christmas songs that is unexplainable, especially when sharing that joy with my friends and family. I know that there is still a lot of work that needs to be done, but everybody is putting in the effort to make the night truly incredible.”

The show choir performed a wide variety of holiday music, including  “Bring Me Love” by John Legend, “Like It’s Christmas” by the Jonas Brothers, “Run, Rudolph, Run” by Chuck Barry, and more. Gafron’s personal favorite is a Hebrew song called “Erev Shel Shoshanim”. Although the choir will not be performing this piece this year, Gafron still loves it.

“Choirs sing it often in this time of the year not because it is necessarily associated with Hanukkah, but because it is a nice contrast to always only singing songs about Christmas,” Gafron said. “I like to be representative of the community we are performing in, and as not all community members (or choristers) are Christian, I like to provide variety in my programming.”

Whether it’s a favorite holiday treat, song, or tradition, everyone has something that brings them joy this time of year. For Allen, it happens to be holiday decorations.

For Gafron, who’s passion for choir goes back over 15 years, she enjoys watching her students progress.

“My favorite part of the concert is when the choirs dance and sing because I get to sit back and enjoy their performance instead of conducting them,” Gafron said. “Sometimes it’s fun to be able to just enjoy what your students have worked on and are capable of without you in front of them.” 

Show choir requires lots of skill, from perfecting rhythms and notes to pairing up steps with beats through fun choreography.

“For me the best part of the concert is getting to dance. Dancing is one of the main reasons that I joined show choir. To be able to dance to a jazzy Christmas song is honestly something that I have dreamed about since middle school,” Allen said. “But honestly just performing with my friends and getting to show off all of the hard work that we have put into this concert is the best part.”

The show choir’s winter concert is an annual event. The show choir’s winter concert is an annual event, but it had to be cancelled last year due to the pandemic. 

“People should come to our concert because it is not your typical choir concert. There is dancing, Christmas spirit, songs that everyone will recognize, and gorgeous costuming,” Allen said. “It really is a full on production which everyone can enjoy. Coming to the concert really supports our choir program in so many ways and it is completely free!”