Some of the best high school choral singers in town transform into rock and pop stars for the annual Knight Club performance Friday and Saturday at Harker Heights High School.
A big part of the transformation involves the school auditorium stage, with live band and professional lighting complementing the two-act showcase of popular music from the 1960s to the early 2000s.
Shows are set for 7 p.m.
Tickets range from $5 to $30 and are available at https://hhhschoirs.ludus.com/index.php
The theme of this year’s show is also the title of the culminating act and senior song, “We Are the World.”
Senior Elena Bryan, the choir president, said the theme and song parallel the program the Master Singers recently performed at the state music educators conference.
“These are songs that will touch your heart,” she said, recalling the variety of pieces from classical to gospel that spoke to the power and beauty of music.
Staying with the unifying message of the famous “We Are the World” anthem, the traditional senior song will actually end with all participants together.
Bryan, a four-year All-State Choir member, has done it all in high school choir, including performing in the Knight Club the past three years.
“The experience feels like you’re a star,” she said, “with the professional band and lighting. The directors and our boosters make it feel like it’s not a high school show. We have to put in the work.”
The final song before the senior song is one of Bryan’s features, Celine Dion’s “All By Myself,” a powerful solo where emotion rises with the smoke drifting across the stage.
“I’ll be very emotional,” she said. “It will be the last time I sing with my friends.”
Senior Elly Hanks has been looking forward to this weekend’s shows since 2018, when she first attended one that included her older brother. She actually has two older brothers who performed in Knight Club and a younger one in this year's show.
In the past three years, Hanks has performed in backup roles. This year, she’s maxing out with eight acts, including a trio bringing to life The Chicks' country hit "Wide Open Spaces."
“It’s been such a big part of my life for so long. It’s exciting. Tears might be shed. This is it. It’s going to be fun.”
Another senior with long choir performance experience, Mattais Fragoso, agreed that Knight Club is unique.
“It’s a full-on production,” he said. “It’s not like any other high school show with this level of production. We have a stage crew and choreographers, it’s very professional.”
The student performers, said Fragoso, take seriously their costumes, back-up singers and overall presence. “It’s so theatrical. You put yourself in these songs.”
Cesily McNutt, a junior, said the Knight Club unites a wide variety of high school performers and music styles.
She said it will be emotional when the seniors begin the finale. “I’m excited for the senior song. They are all my friends. They taught me so much. They raised me in choir, and I’m sad they are leaving.”
At the same time, “it’s a happy place,” said McNutt. “We work so hard to be here. I lose myself on stage. It’s amazing.”
Jack Smith, a sophomore, is the stage manager for the shows. He said he appreciates how it gets people together.
As a freshman last year, Smith was assistant stage manager. “When I saw the effort and commitment, I wanted to be stage manager. It’s been non-stop and I love it.”
“Knight Club is something we will never do again,” said junior Jaeden Trevino. “It’s extraordinary, full of adventure.”
Trevino and Fragoso, both All-State Choir members, perform a memorable version of "I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)," made popular by The Proclaimers.
“You don’t feel the energy until you get on stage with the band, and you see the audience, and you feel their energy,” said senior Mariela Valdez, who brings to life Tejano star Selena's "Bidi Bidi Bom Bom."
This year’s program also includes songs from Madonna, Diana Ross, Ed Sheeran, Fleetwood Mac, Boyz II Men, Green Day and Nat King Cole to name a few.
In addition to the feature pieces, the show includes Harker Heights High School choir ensembles like Voices of the Knights, Iron Maidens and Pitch Black.
