Cardozo High School performed their annual holiday show on Dec. 14, with some major changes for audience members.
Cardozo students have always performed their annual holiday show in the school auditorium in years past. However, with the school auditorium under construction, the music and dance departments had no choice but to take their night performance on another stage: Queensborough Community College. Many people came together on the night of Dec. 14 to make Cardozo’s first concert of the year as magical as possible; some on stage, others behind the curtains.
The night started much earlier than at 6 p.m. when the show began. Preparations were being made for the show as soon as school ended. Cardozo’s Stage Crew had often worked on performances in the past, but those times were always in the school building. They had access to ‘The Booth’ in the comforts of our school, which gave them access to the lights and music—but they were no longer in Cardozo. This was a new stage, and it was time to adapt to the situation.
“We’re just doing everything we can to ensure the night goes well,” explained Giorgio Sylvestre, a member of Cardozo’s Stage Crew. “We’ve been setting up chairs, and stationing certain people in places to ensure the night goes smoothly for everyone.”
Throughout the night, Stage Crew members ran around, whether it be on stage or off. Though behind the scenes and in the shadows, they played a major role in ensuring that the night went as smoothly as possible.
While Stage Crew was busy setting up, the performers were getting themselves ready to be under the spotlight. The marching band took the stage to practice one last time before the real deal, rehearsing on stage hours before the show began. They were, after all, the openers for the show, and the first taste of the concert for the audience. Mr. Oberer, the director of Cardozo’s Marching Band, gave his students a few words of encouragement beforehand.
“I told them as they walked up the stage that they should be walking tall, and feeling proud,” he stated happily. “I am extremely proud of them. They’re spectacular, truly.”
Afterward, the students took a small break in the performance hall’s seats, all of them feeling the rush of excitement as they made preparations for the show. Some felt nervous, while others felt nothing but excitement. Michelle Hyun, a clarinet player for Cardozo’s Symphonic Band, stated, “I’m kind of nervous… but not really at the same time. It’s also kind of cool, cause I’m performing in a different environment.”
Lia Subervi and Cinai Kang, two singers for Cardozo’s Chorus, however, were not nervous at all, both stating that they had no reason to be.
“Nervous? No, I’m not nervous, not even a little,” Subervi quipped. “Why should I be? It’s not my first performance, after all. It’s pretty cool to perform somewhere different; there’s a different vibe, and I feel like we can adapt to the change really well. We sound different depending on the location, and I think that’s pretty cool.”
“Yeah,” Kang added on. “With the new environment, I’m kind of more excited about it than nervous.”
Though it wasn’t Subervi’s first time on stage, it was for some others. Quanjin Shu, and Justin Lee, both performing for the Beginner Guitar Ensemble, explained that they’d be performing on stage for the first time.
“My part’s kind of easy, so I’m not really nervous” said Lee, “I feel pretty good for a first timer, actually.”
Shu disagrees, stating that he felt rather nervous, “I’m not really good in front of people in general, if I’m being honest…especially not with a crowd.”
As the clock ticked closer to 6:30 p.m., performers began to take their places on the performance hall’s mezzanine. Though some were nervous, some confident, everyone involved was excited, and determined to make the night memorable.
