This is only the surface of my musical journey. I have a playlist of 100+ performances!
Star Spangled Banner Soloist at Graduation
After four years of discovering my voice and learning to overcome stage fright in high school, I was selected to sing the Star Spangled Banner at the Metea Valley Class of 2029 Graduation Ceremony. In front of over 700 graduates and our families, I reflected on every step that brought me to that stage.
A Final Goodbye to Honors Varsity Chamber Singers
My final song with Honors Varsity Chamber Singers, a gorgeous 8-part acapella piece by Jeffery Derus: "Whoever You Are." With our 15 person choir, we had at most 2 people on each part. Due to this, you can pick out each singer's individual voice throughout the dissonance we create. Being in such a small choir, you have the oppurtunity to build relationships with every member as individuals, no matter "who(ever) you are". Chamber has been an irreplaceable family, and just one year doesn't feel like enough time spent with them. I feel that "Whoever You Are" truly captures the feeling of unifying my voice with all these incredible people. I wouldn't choose to sing any other song as my final goodbye to this family.
Opera Trio at the District 204 Honors Recital
While forming an operatic trio with two of my closest friends, I achieved a huge goal of mine: to be featured in District 204's Solo & Ensemble Honors Recital. After weeks of studying and rehearsing Mozart's "Soave sia il vento," we recieved an incredible response from our peers, directors, and judges. We were chosen alongside 11 other performances out of hundreds given throughout the day.
Learning to Overcome Stage Fright: Opera Solo
Performing solo is something that I have struggled with for years due to crippling stage fright. While learning Mozart's "Deh vieni non tardar," I learned that only exposure and practice can help me overcome it. My Mandarin Chinese teacher, 郑老师, is also an opera singer, and she gave me many oppurtunities to perform in front of my class and become more comfortable singing in front of others. I also spent many hours learning the piece, and dedicated a lot of time to learning about the story behind it, the Italian language, and my overall technique. Due to this, I increased my confidence, and was finally able to experience a feeling of satisfaction as I performed during the District 204 Solo & Ensemble Festival.
Life-Changing Performance: ILMEA State Honors Choir
I always cry whenever I look back to videos from ILMEA State. Not due to sadness, but because of overwhelming joy I feel from hearing the beautiful sound the Honors Choir created in 2025. The powerful dynamics, dissonant chords, and incredible singers have all left a mark on me in a way I've never felt before. Dr. Frances Fonza brought incredible attention to detail while she directed us, and as a result, our choir was able to deliver a deeply emotional sound. After experiencing State, I paid more attention to details while performing than ever before in hopes of creating that sound once more. My favorite song we performed was "Steal Away," an African American spiritual arranged by Diedre Robinson. The push and pull of this performance is unforgettable, and the added weight from the history of the piece makes this one of my favorite performances from my entire musical journey.
A Final Hello, and One Last Solo: Madrigals Court
During each Metea Valley Madrigals show, alumni and former singers are invited to sing "Riu Riu Chiu," a Spanish carol, with the cast. In 2024, I said my final hello to the alumni, knowing I would be standing with them in future years. I also shared my final solo as a member of the Madrigal Court. I would like to acknowledge my costume designer, Mrs. Oldenburg, who I have been dreaming about my custom gown with for over 2 years. Because of her, I got to live my dream of creating a gown that truly depicts my tastes for my final year of Madrigals. Madgrials will always hold a special place in my heart, as I have been able to experience the joy of acting, scriptwriting, singing, and connecting with others.
PENTATONIX at the D204 Administrative Office
The Madrigal Court at Metea Valley High School has a tradition of visiting the District 204 CEC Office to perform for preschoolers and at a holiday brunch. In 2024, we performed a PENTATONIX arrangement of "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen," a thrilling song with many ups and downs... in Renaissance fasion!! This performance is a continuation of our tradition to sneak a modern arrangement into our Renaissance Christmas show.
Soloist for ILMEA District IX Senior Choir (Top 2 Soprano II)
In 2024, I went to school one day to find out that I had scored within the Top 2 for Soprano IIs within ILMEA District IX. Due to this, I was eligible to audition for a solo for the festival, and was almost certainly guaranteed to be a state-level singer as a Soprano II for that year. I was filled with excitement, as I had been working so hard to better my singing already. It was as if my work was all paying off. Later, I would find out that I was selected for the solo, and would be singing it during the performance of "I'll Be On My Way" by Shawn Kirchner.
Singing with Young Divas (Including My Sister!)
Metea Valley High School's "Diva Day" tradition has always brightened my day. It involves inviting young girls from the neighboring elementary and middle schools and sharing a day where we sing and learn our high school "Comfort Songs." These Comfort Songs are songs that I started every day at choir with: simple songs with charming melodies that make you excited to sing for the day. I can't help but reminisce about my musical journey every time I see kids who were around my age when I started choir. Here, I am sharing a video of "Can't Help Falling in Love" from Diva Day in 2024. This particular year, I was able to sing with my little sister, who looks up to me and has contributed a lot to my goal of becoming a better singer.
Recreating Rainforest Sounds in "Três Cantos Navitos"
"Três Cantos Navitos" was one of the coolest pieces I have ever performed. The beginning of the piece features no singing, but rather the mimicking of animals and the sound of rain by clapping and stomping. The scene is set perfectly, and when the singing finally begins... it's bright. Not the round color that usually comes from a choir. Later on, we begin dancing in spirit. This was purposely arranged by Marcos Leite, who combined melodies sung by the Krao Tribe from the Amazonian Rainforest in Brazil.
The Famous "Flower Duet" with Alicia Mathew
The "Flower Duet" is a popular operatic duet that is featured in many forms of media, and, during my junior year of high school, I decided to learn and perform it with my friend Alicia Mathew for our Solo & Ensemble Festival. Our voices have always locked in well together, so it was a no brainer to work with her. The most difficult part of this piece was balancing our sound levels and also working on the French intonation. Through practice, we got closer and closer to a performance-ready sound. While planning our performance, we decided to pay tribute to the Indian heritage of the original opera characters by wearing traditional clothing ourselves. We tried our best to feel as if we were Lakme and Mallika ourselves.
A Jazz Rendition of "The First Noel"... in Renaissance?!
In 2023, I was lucky enough to experience the start of a new tradtion for the Madrigal Court at Metea Valley High School: the inclusion of a jazz piece in our Renaissance-themed show. The snobbish court members loosen up as they engage in modern melodies, surprising the audience and the rest of the cast. I clearly remember this piece as I was assigned my own wacky combination of notes taken from both Alto and Soprano parts. The challenge lit a fire in me, and I made sure to practice every day to lock in every odd jump in notes. The rush I felt holding up my own "Ishanvi" part was unsurmountable. This piece was one our 2023 Court family sung many times in jest: in hallways, in practice rooms, in buses, and even at Portillo's. Even today, I feel as if I could sing it from memory at the sound of a lyre.
My First Solo... with an Indian Touch!
In 2023, Varisty and Chamber Singers at Metea Valley performed "Balleilakka," a popular Tamil song, as a tribute to our large Indian community. The intonation was incredibly tough, as it required many syllables and tongue-twisting combinations of words at a fast rhythm. However, through collective effort and rigourous practice, we successfully prepared the piece for performance. With help from students and their families, we were able to fashion all singers in dupattas and kurtas to match the piece, which was a hit with the audience. I also audiitoned and recieved a solo for this piece as the second soloist, which would be my very first solo at Metea Valley. I would have the oppurtunity to perform this solo a total of five times (!) due to multiple performances.
Treble Voices Can Be Powerful Too: ILMEA District IX Senior Choir
Before participating in ILMEA in 2023, I disliked choral arrangements for treble voices. I always preferred the depth and dissonance that could be achieved with full SATB voicing. However, when performing "By Night" by Elaine Hagenberg, I realized that even treble voices can achieve beautiful depth and color. This would be my first experience with Elaine Hagenberg's music, but her music would reappear again and again with its magical sound.
First Steps: Solo Performance
By working with my vocal instructor, Mr. Ramirez, I prepared to perform my very first piece: "Sogno" by Paolo Tosti. In preparation, I worked on breath support, posture, and Italian intonation. Later, I would have the oppurtunity to perform at Mr. Ramirez's recital named "A Summer Afternoon Concert on the Lawn."
It's Gonna Be a Brighter Day: United Voices
In 2023, I joined United Voices at Metea Valley High School, a extracurricular group focused on Gospel and R&B music. In preparation for the Fine Arts Festival, we learned an arrangement of the song "Brighter Day" by Kirk Franklin. This was my first exposure to this genre, and it was refreshing to sing with more lightness and fun.
A Silent Night: First Madrigals Show
At the end of each Madrigals show, we sing "Silent Night" as we slowly process off the stage and mark the end of the show. At the end, the audience is left with the distant sound of humming and the dimmed light over the stage, and the cast is left reflecting over their past 5 months of work. In 2022, I experienced this feeling for the very first time.
The Show Must Go On: Blackout Concert
My sophomore year, I entered Varsity Singers. Our very first concert blacked out due to a storm, but the music persisted. Ironically, "Earth Song" by Frank Ticheli mentions that "music and singing shall be light." While a blackout is not akin to the horrors of war, I believe that the perserverance that "Earth Song" describes still applies, as "through darkness and pain and strife... I'll sing."
I'll Be Your Bridge: Welcome to Metea Valley
At the end of every Spring Concert, all the Metea Valley choirs come together and sing a chosen graduation song. In 2022, this song was "Bridge Over Troubled Water," arranged by Kirby Shaw. To the seniors, this was their goodbye. To me, this was a hello, and a preview of the years to come. I still consider this song to be one of the most inspiring and magical performance through all my experiences.
DonecPonamInimicosTuos
As a wrap to freshman year in 2022, Metea Valley's Cecillian Singers sang "Preludium" from "The Sound of Music." This song is an sweet memory for me, as it reminds me of the days I'd run off to the practice rooms with my friends during lunch and practice it. We'd jest by trying to speak the Latin as quickly as we could, inspired by the call and response at the beginning of the piece. Jokes aside, I loved this piece through and through. It was my first experience as a "sopralto," swinging between notes rather than following a given part, which encouraged me to learn music more thoroughly and thoughtfully, thinking of my notes relative to others. The beautiful color of the song spoke to me, and I would listen to it nearly every day after being introduced to it. I also challenged myself by auditioning for the group solos, and I got it!
The Beginning: Still Middle School
In 7th grade, I joined Still Middle School's choir. I initially wasn't going to, but Mrs. Whitney, who was my General Music teacher at the time, encouraged me to join. It's funny to think that I almost didn't set foot on this journey, because I would never be the person I am today without choir. "All My Trials" was one of the very first songs I learned at Still Middle School. It sparked my love for spirituals, and filled me with the urge to sing more. Thank you, Mrs. Whitney, for inspiring me to chase what I love.