Duneland.com > News & Announcements > Chesterton High School Show Choirs Presents 2011 Winter Showcase and Dinner

California-Bound CHS Show Choirs to Present 2011 Winter Showcase and Dinner on February 5th

January 24, 2011

After a successful fall season of performances and competition events, the Chesterton High School Music program will present its annual Winter Showcase and Dinner at Chesterton High School on Saturday, February 5th. This event will feature the CHS Sandpipers, Drifters, and Show Choir Band presenting the premiere performances of their 2011 competition programs. In addition, the evening will feature a headline performance by Electro Glide Records blues guitarist Marty “Big Dog” Mercer. This year's Winter Showcase and Dinner will be catered by Ruge's, with dinner served at 6:00 p.m. The evening's performances will take place in the CHS auditorium beginning at 7:00 p.m.

“After our successful performance at the Ada competition last fall, we are eager to present our full 2011 show for the first time at the Winter Showcase,” said Bryan Stowers, a senior member of Sandpipers. “We're working like crazy to put the finishing touches on the material and iron out all the last-minute details over our next few rehearsals.”

Patrons of the 2011 Winter Showcase will enjoy a delicious meal by Ruge's Catering, which will include salad, bread, mostaccioli, broasted chicken, scalloped potatoes, vegetable, and your choice of drink; after dinner is complete, the performances of the CHS show choirs will feature outstanding singing and dancing, beautiful new costuming, and dazzling visual effects.

Following the performances of the CHS show choirs, Chicago-based blues guitarist Marty “Big Dog” Mercer will take the stage to present the evening's headline performance. Mercer is a noted blues performer, and recently released a new CD on the Electro Glide label. His band features two alums of the CHS show choir program- Jordan Gross, a former member of the CHS Show Choir Band, and Rachel Schlene, a former member of both Drifters and Sandpipers. “We've been performing with Marty for years, and we're so excited to be back on the CHS stage at the 2011 Winter Showcase,” says Schlene. “We have fond memories of the opportunities we experienced through our participation in Chesterton's show choir program, and it is a joy to come back and support the current groups as they prepare for this amazing tour of California in just a couple months!”

In addition to a full slate of regional-level competitions in Indiana, Illinois, and Ohio, this year's CHS Drifters, Sandpipers, and Show Choir Band will be traveling to Southern California during the last week of March. The seventy-two student members of the CHS show choirs as well as five staff members, twenty parent chaperones, and approximately forty additional friends and family members will tour Los Angeles, explore cultural opportunities, participate in the 2011 Magic Music Days Festival at Disneyland, and compete in a show choir competition at John Burroughs High School in Burbank during this year's spring break. Staff, student members and their families have been diligently raising funds since last May in order to make this tour opportunity a reality.

“We are so thankful for the generous support which we have received from friends and neighbors far and wide since we announced this tour,” said CHS choral director Christopher Brush. “We would not be able to provide this once-in-a-lifetime travel opportunity to our students without strong support from the people of Chesterton and the Duneland community. Our students are so excited for this trip, and are eager for the opportunity to represent our school and community at these performances in the beautiful Southern California area. We have been successful in raising funds for this tour over the past few months, and we're hoping to reach the finish line, so to speak, at our gala Winter Showcase event. We're very much looking forward to seeing many familiar faces and new friends on February 5th!”

Prior to the start of the show, patrons are invited to participate in a silent auction in the lobby of the CHS auditorium which will feature a variety of unique themed gift baskets. A 50/50 raffle will also be held during the show; silent auction and raffle winners will be announced immediately prior to the performance of Big Dog Mercer.

Tickets for the 2011 Winter Showcase and Dinner may be purchased from all members of the CHS show choirs, and may also be obtained by visiting the Red Cup Café in Chesterton or the Chesterton High School Main Office during normal business hours. Tickets for the meal and performance are $20 for general admission seating and $17 for students and senior citizens. For maximum convenience, visit the official Chesterton Choirs website at www.chestertonchoirs.org to purchase and print your tickets today. Tickets for the performance only are $10 for general admission seating and $7 for students and senior citizens, and will be available at the CHS Box Office starting at 6:30 p.m. on February 5th. For more information about this event, please contact the CHS Music Office at 983-3730 ext. 7147.