Timberline Choir
-
Director: Mr. Shaw tshaw@nthurston.k12.wa.us
We currently have 6 choirs at Timberline that all serve their own purpose. Three are auditioned and three are non-auditioned, but all have the same standards of excellence that we strive for. All choir members are expected to have a passion for singing and making music with other people.
Most of our concerts are held at the Koval Center for the Performing Arts (located at NTHS) and are FREE to attend. All of our concerts have a theme that the music fits into. See below for specific concert themes and info.
Our Choirs
-
Chamber Choir
This is an auditioned choir for upper voices (sopranos and altos). Due to its small size (16 members), Chamber Choir serves a unique role by traveling and performing at various community events, festivals, and competitions throughout the school year. Because of this, the time commitment to Chamber Choir is somewhat greater for its members.
-
Concert Choir
This choir is a non-auditioned choir for mixed voices (sopranos, altos, tenors, and basses). The purpose of Concert Choir is to offer a place for people to sing and learn about music, sight-singing, and other musical concepts with a minimal commitment of time outside of class and the 4 regular choir concerts.
-
MANCHOIR
This choir is open only to young men at THS. We meet after school twice a week for an hour. There is no credit for this class, just the enjoyment of singing in a men's choir. MANCHOIR typically meets in Nov-Dec and then again in May-June in preparation for the December and June concerts.
-
Symphonic Choir
This is an auditioned mixed choir. This choir participates in festivals, assemblies and other community events. Most members in Symphonic Choir have sung in one of the non-auditioned choirs first.
-
Symphonic Ensemble
This is an auditioned mixed ensemble of 12-16 voices. Auditions are held in September and rehearsals are held after school on selected days. This ensemble is partially student-directed.
-
Treble Choir
This is a non-auditioned choir for upper voices (sopranos and altos). The purpose of Treble Choir is to offer a place for people to sing and learn about music, sight-singing and other musical concepts with a minimal commitment of time outside of class and the 4 regular choir concerts.
About Our Concerts
-
Fall Concerts
Typically held in mid-October, our fall concerts are an exciting time as we get back into school and welcome new Timberline Choir members to our stage for the first time. Each concert has a theme, ranging from folk songs to nature.
-
Winter Festivals
Typically held in mid-December before we leave for winter break, our Winter Festivals are a complete Arts expo - band, choir, orchestra, drama and visual art all participate. Due to the number of students involved, this festival is a two-night event. We have the non-auditioned groups perform the first night and the auditioned groups on the second night. It is a great opportunity for all the Arts students to see each other perform and present their hard work.
-
Mid-Year Concerts
Typically held in mid-late March, this concert is the most difficult music we perform all year. This coincides with our regional festivals and contests held in February and March each year. Themes for this concert range from music from “Out of Africa” or “European Masterpieces” to “The Poet Sings”.
-
End-of-Year Concerts
Typically held in late May or early June, our end-of-year concerts are like no other! Themes range from “Celebrate the 60s”, “I love the 80s”, “Reel Music: Movie Music” to a “Concert for Change” that we do every 4 years. This concert usually features a small band (drums, guitar, bass) and mostly pop music that fits under the theme. We also have costumes and really put on a show for the audience. This is a do-not-miss kind of event! Before this concert, we also have our choir awards presentation and senior recognition, which is a special time to honor the graduating singers.
-
Throwback Concerts
Typically held in January or February at the Timberline Theater, this concert is completely unique to our school. It’s called the Throwback Concert as the music is all from the 1930s, 40s and 50s - the Big Band, early Jazz and Swing era. It began as a fund-raiser for our travels and features all solos and small groups from our auditioned choirs and is a chance for singers to pick a song, prepare that song, get dressed in period costumes/outfits and put it on stage in a lounge-like setting. We set the stage like a jazz club and have a small combo (piano and drums) accompanying each singer.
-
Zone Festivals
Typically held in early March at the Timberline High School Gym, this concert combines all the schools in Zone 1: Timberline, Komachin Middle School, Aspire Academy for the Performing Arts, Woodland Elementary School, Lakes Elementary School, Horizons Elementary School, and Chambers Prairie Elementary School. With about 350-400 young singers in total, the secondary school groups sing 1-2 songs, the elementary schools combine for 3 songs, and the entire cast sings 1 song to wrap up the performance. It is a great opportunity to see young singers from 5th all the way through 12th grade all at the same time!
-
Other Events
- Students have the opportunity to participate in the Regional Solo/Ensemble Contest held each year. Typically, we have several ensembles and solos compete. Our Chamber Choir is required to participate, and has won the event every year since 2006! Winners from this event go on to participate in the State Contest.
- Our Chamber Choir typically performs anywhere from 10-20 other performances aside from our normal concerts. These can include singing at various events, such as the Washington State Supreme Court Holiday luncheon, the PLU Invite, various retirement centers, the Dept of Labor and Industries atrium, and other community events.
- We host a student talent show each year, open to anyone in the school by audition.
- In 2022, we will be hosting THS’s first poetry night.