In the first week of June each year all of the students of Lester B Pearson School for the Arts gather to present what we call, "Choral Celebration". These concert have been going on for as long as Pearson has been an arts school. They are a highlight of the school year, and truly show the musical progression of the students as they move from grade 4 to grade 8. We hope that you enjoy the music that we have prepared for you!

You can go to the playlist or choose individual songs below.

• Choral Celebration 2000 playlist

10th Anniversary

In 2000 we celebrated the 10th anniversary of Pearson as an arts school. For our 2000 CD we incorporated a number of other performances other than just choral music for this performance.

CD Cover

Whole School

1. “O Fortuna” from Carmina Burana (Whole School) - Carl Orff

In November of 1999 the Pearson Singers were invited to sing Carmina Burana with the London Fanshawe Symphonic Chorus. While preparing this work the grade 8 students heard Pearson Singers rehearsing. They decided that they would like to try the opening song, “O Fortuna”. Over the course of the year the entire school learned “ O Fortuna” which was used as the opening for this end of the year concert.

Grade 7 Drama

2. Macbeth: Act IV Scene 1 - William Shakespeare

The grade 7 students presented the beginning of this scene as group projects in class while working on characterization and memorization in drama. After seeing the results a decision was made to enter the scene in the drama section of the Kiwanis Festival. The students won a gold for this presentation.

Grade 4's

3. A Great Big Sea - arr. Robert Fleming

This Newfoundland sea shanty tells of the economic effects of a local flood which caused the price of fish to drop and flour to skyrocket. This setting incorporates traditional fiddling (Mrs. Case) and spoons (Mr. DaSilva).

Grade 6's

4. Tuuti Tuuti Tummaistani - CharlesCollins

This song is a setting of a Finnish folk poem which was collected from the rural areas of eastern Finland in the 19th century. The translation tells us that this lullaby is being sung by a peasant mother to her dead child, wishing it safe passage to the afterlife. The opening theme is sung by a trio of voices: Kate Bryant, Julia Horan, and Kiri Rix.

Pearson Singers

5. Laudate Dominum - Sherri Porterfield

6. A La Nanita Nana - Michael Braz

7. Storm is Passing Over - Charles Albert Tindley / arr. Barbara Baker

Pearson Singers was formed as an unchanged voice performance choir encompassing grades 4 to 8. Three pieces the choir sang at both the Kiwanis Festival in London, and an international choral festival in Chicago were performed at the concert. In London the Pearson Singers received a gold for their performance, and in Chicago they were presented with an award of “Outstanding Achievement”.

Grade 6 Drama

8. Excerpt from A Midsummer Night’s Dream William Shakespeare

The grade 6 class performed an adapted version of this Shakespeare play in a 1920's setting. This scene features the “mechanicals” performing “Pyrimus & Thisby”, a play within a play, for the Duke’s wedding.

Grade 7 Winds

9. American Patrol F. W. Meacham / arr. F. Erickson

While the grade 7 winds worked in class to play “American Patrol”, the other grade 7 class busily mastered steps to a complementary dance routine. Here you hear the band’s lively and rhythmical performance that lead the dancers through their on-stage choreography. Hip, hip, hooray!

Grade 8 Strings

10. Toccatina William Hofeldt

This particular piece of music presented a number of challenges for the grade 8 strings class. The students’ efforts, though, were rewarded when they were recognized at the Kiwanis Festival with a gold level award.

Grade 8 Winds

11. Medley

We have all enjoyed the musical moments which have been shared during the four years our grade 8 wind students have been playing their instruments. And so here, the class presents a salute to the music and memories of their past band classes including selections from “American Portrait”, “Balladair”, “Lonestar Overture”, and “Hits of the Eighties”.

Grade 8's

12. Cloud Song Bill Whelan

Riverdance has become tremendously popular because of it’s amazing style of dancing. Less well known, though, is the vocal music of this show. Here the grade 8 students present one of the choral numbers from Riverdance with Julia Barber singing the opening solo.

13. “O Fortuna” from Carmina Burana (Grade 8 Class) Carl Orff

After having heard the Pearson Singers perform this piece, the grade 8 students worked on “O Fortuna” in preparation for both Musicfest and the Kiwanis Festival. In both Festivals they achieved gold level awards. This performance, recorded at the school in preparation for the Kiwanis “Stars of the Festival” concert, features the two grade 8 classes singing, five grade 7 students on percussion (David Moote, Joel Miles, Jocelyn Howard, Anne Pattison and Rachel Wharton), and two grade 8 students playing the two piano parts (Leanne MacLachlan and David Peacock).

14. Believe Me Jon Sarma and David Peacock

For the last five years the grade 8 students have written an original musical which has been presented to students in the Thames Valley board. Two casts performed ten shows for an average of two thousand students and parents each year - a taste of life in the theatre! Topics for these shows come from the students themselves, and have dealt with everything from a version of Romeo & Juliet set on another planet in the future, to how good and bad choices concerning gangs and drug use affect teens in high school. This year’s show centred on a high school student, Angela, who does not want to seek treatment for her recently discovered cancer until the completion of her starring role in the school musical, Fame. “Believe Me” is sung by Angela to her boyfriend. While she is not brave enough to tell him about her cancer she does urge him not to worry about her. This song is written by two of the grade 8 students, Jon Sarma and David Peacock. It features Alison Mockler and Laura Coatsworth (Angela from each of the two casts) with David Peacock on piano.

15. Goodbye Angel Jon Sarma and David Peacock

In this song three singers (Siobhan O’Neal, Melanie Dick, and Jordan Boyd) sing to Angela at the end of the show. Also featured are Natalia Gracious (flute), Kathryn Hagglund (violin), Agnieszka Kus (cello), and David Peacock (piano).

Whole School

16. Out Here On My Own Christopher Gore and Michael Gore

After Angela becomes too sick to go on with the show, and her understudy, Amber, is removed for trying to undermine Angela, Dani, Angela’s best friend, is persuaded to try to step into the role at the last minute despite her stage fright. For our end of the year concert Dani (played by Lauren Round and Leanne MacLachlan) is accompanied by David Peacock on piano and a chorus comprised of the entire student body at Pearson.

17. Body Electric Christopher Gore and Michael Gore

“Body Electric” celebrates the possibilities of the tomorrow to come! It became a theme song, not only for the grade 8's, but for all of our students as they moved toward the end a very successful school year. To finish our end of year concert the entire school performed this piece with full choreography. It features the solo singing of Siobhan O’Neal, Jordan Boyd, and Melanie Dick, David Peacock on piano, Matt Dietrich on drums, and David Moote on timpani. In the instrumental section in the middle you’ll even hear a big cheer for the grade 8 dancers - too bad you can’t see them here, they were great! Although the strings, guitar, and some percussion are recorded, we managed to cover everything else with the talent and hard work of the students.

This song is a setting of a Finnish folk poem which was collected from the rural areas of eastern Finland in the 19th century. The translation tells us that this lullaby is being sung by a peasant mother to her dead child, wishing it safe passage to the afterlife. The opening theme is sung by a trio of voices: Kate Bryant, Julia Horan, and Kiri Rix.