On Thursday, April 18th the chorus at BHS hosted its annual PopsNight. This event is a showcase of BHS’s choirtalent through a yearly theme. The show had performers from the concert choir, chorus, madrigals, and the BMS chorus. Following the band and orchestra’s trip to Disney this past March, this year’s PopsNight theme was “Disney Magic!”. The theme consisted of familiar and nostalgic tunes for audience members to enjoy. With the help of BHS’s choir teacher, Mr. Lapine, along with the participating students, PopsNight was a success for both performers and the engaged audience.
The show contained full ensemble numbers and small group performances, as well as numerous solos, each by students of all grades. The hosts of the production, Maddie Bozack, Gabby DeNicola, Monique Kafala-Dori, and Joe Sorge began the night by introducing themselves and providing humorous intros to a number of the songs. The performances, as remarkably introduced by the hosts, were as follows:
“The Gospel Truth I” (Hercules) Maddie Bozack, Gabby DeNicola, and Monique Kefala-Dori
“Be Our Guest” (Beauty and the Beast) The Ensemble and BMS Chorus, Spencer Depew and Meghan Fitzpatrick solo
“Evermore” (Beauty and the Beast) Evan Seker
“Beauty and the Beast” (Beauty and the Beast) Eva Fernandez and Maddie Halliez
“Part of Your World” (The Little Mermaid) Abby Wolkow
“Poor Unfortunate Souls” (The Little Mermaid) Julia Schmidt
“You’ll Be In My Heart” (Tarzan) The Ensemble
“Hellfire” (Hunchback of Notre Dame) Franklin Cutler
“I See the Light” (Tangled) Maddie Bozack and Max Lenci
“When Will My Life Begin” (Tangled) Nancy Pereyra
“I Won’t Say I’m In Love” (Hercules) The Muses, Bridgette McGee solo
“Show Yourself” (Frozen) Ella Daratoski and Kaley Welsh
“A Dream Is a Wish Your Heart Makes” (Cinderella) The Ensemble, Meredith Mitchell solo
“Lava” (Lava) Gabby DeNicola
“Santa Fe” (Newsies) Nate DeNicola
“Friend Like Me” (Aladdin) The Ensemble
“Shiny” (Moana) Sam Struble
“How Far I’ll Go” (Moana) Abby Sebastian
“Can You Feel the Love Tonight” (The Lion King) Alice Gonzalez
“I Wanna Be Like You” (The Jungle Book) Madrigals
“Almost There” (Princess and the Frog) Alexis Szydlowski
“When We’re Human” (Princess and the Frog) Monique Kefala-Dori
“Reflection” (Mulan) Julz Nigro
“I’ll Make a Man Out of You” (Mulan) The Huns
“If Only” (Descendants) Meghan Fitzpatrick, Bridgette McGee, and Meredith Mitchell
“Man or Muppet” (The Muppets) Spencer Depew and Max Lenci
“Wondering” (High School Musical the Musical The Series) Julia Schmidt and Alexis Szydlowski
“Start of Something New” (High School Musical) Abbie Dooley, Julie Lund, Reagan Panik, and Lucie Roblez
“We’re All In This Together” (High School Musical) The Ensemble and BMS Chorus
PopsNight was made up of a wide variety of songs, movies, and singers. From seniors, Maddie Bozack, Gabby DeNicola, and Monique Kafala-Dori singing “The Gospel Truth I” to freshman Nancy Pereyra soloing in “When Will My Life Begin”, all the way to the full Ensemble and BMS Chorus singing “We’re All In This Together”, the night was extremely worthwhile. Singing childhood favorites brings back magical memories while having fun and bonding with classmates. The choir students of BHS have enjoyed PopsNight for years, and this one was no different. “It was super fun to hype up the crowd and to do it with some of my best friends,” Maddie Bozack ‘24 stated.
PopsNight 2024 was a truly enjoyable experience as it allowed viewers to reminisce the familiar Disney tunes from their childhood all the while hearing them from their family, friends, and classmates. With its great variety of songs and performers, audience members were kept entertained and astounded by the talent BHS shared. The hosts thanked Dr. Ferrara, the band, including Shannon Meeks ‘25, and Mr. Lapine all for making this night possible. And of course, the night could not have been successful without the choir students themselves. Events like this one make for commemorative nights that participants will hold onto for years to come. Nancy Pereyra ‘27 recalled, “I enjoyed PopsNight because the songs were fun to sing and I thought it was very entertaining.”
