The Shadow
COVINGTON, Va. (VR) – On Thursday evening, May 18, senior members of the Alleghany High School Choir performed for one last time. Solo after breathtaking solo, the 12th graders offered emotionally charged performances, words of wisdom and tearful goodbyes to friends and family in the audience. By the end of the evening, there wasn’t a dry eye in the auditorium.
Amanda Sprouse, Alleghany’s choir director since 2006, put aside several bouquets of well-deserved flowers to speak about the annual recital that typically bookends the school year.
“This is the chance for the seniors to have a final hoorah, farewell; they get to pick whatever music they want, within reason; they get to pick their own outfits, their style; we work on the order together. They prepare it. I don’t hold their hands on this one,” she said.
Sprouse spoke warmly of the seniors with whom she’s worked particularly close over the past four years as they navigated through COVID-19 and, at one point, ate lunch together. For that reason, it could be argued that watching the curtain fall on this group might be especially difficult for Sprouse.
The heartwarming evening began with soloist Liv Groves belting out “When I Look at You” and ended with a playful duet of “Mushnik and Son” from “Little Shop of Horrors,” performed by Amy Nicole Lee and Bailey Richardson. In between, several soloists took the stage, including, but not limited to, Trinity Meekins, McKenzie Honts, Jadalynn Sellers, Michael May and Aiden Williams. The audience was also treated to a quartet made up of Honts, Richardson, Williams and Rowan Silver. Toward the end of the program, Allison Thompson stepped up to perform “Living on a Prayer” with her dad, Loren Thompson, accompanying her on guitar.
Allison Thompson took a moment to reflect on the evening stating, “I’ve loved singing my whole life so I’m glad that, tonight, I finally got to showcase, honestly, one of the best songs for my voice personally; and I’ve always wanted to sing it live, so I’m glad I got to have the opportunity to do it, and I just love the people that I was able to perform with.”
At the night’s conclusion, Sprouse and the senior choir members headed off to San Juan; this final dinner is yet another tradition that started approximately 12 years ago with the first senior recital. It gives the seniors one last chance to have a meal together and share a laugh before taking on their final stage — the graduation stage.
