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Austinaires provide the soundtrack for the holidays

 

By Eric Johnson

eric.johnson@austindailyherald.com

If you’re planning on attending a holiday event sometime in November and December, it’s likely you are going to hear your favorite Christmas music.

It’s equally likely that the voices behind that music will be delivered by the Austinaires, Austin High School’s audition-only vocal group. Over the span of the holidays this group, in their familiar red and black ensembles, will take part in 25 performances.

Those performances range from senior living facilities to individual events. In fact, anybody who has attended Hometown Christmas or the Christmas in the City event over the years will be familiar with how it starts — the Austinaires marching down Main Street, singing Christmas carols and setting the holiday tone in the right way.

But for Choir Director Kalle Akkerman, even though the music and the singers are center stage, it’s actually about the act of coming together.

“It’s less about music and more about seeing people together doing something they enjoy,” he said from the choir room in the AHS annex, just days before the singers were to get their music. “It makes people happy.”

The choir itself, a long-standing tradition at the school, began rehearsal on their Christmas music in early October, with performances starting in the last half of November. From there things are busy to say the least.

Twenty-five performances in a relatively short amount of time is asking the members to juggle quite a bit when you consider classroom and extracurricular commitments, not to mention those things outside of school like work and family obligations.

“Kids have to be organized. Plan their own calendars,” Akkerman said. “I want them to make sure they can do this on their own. It’s really kind of student-led through December. November is when we’re building the plane. December is when we get to fly it.”

Despite all of the work, the singers throw themselves into the process completely, and they do it not only because it’s something they enjoy, but because others enjoy it as well.

The singers believe they are providing a needed service during the holiday season that includes bringing joy to the community.

“I definitely like seeing people’s reactions to our singing, even though some of the songs we have sang for the last something years,” said three-year member and senior, Alex Schuster. “We have tears, we have people singing with us, dancing. It’s beautiful to see.”

Two-year Austinaires member Ature Puro agreed.

“It’s just seeing people’s reactions and knowing we’re here with a purpose and showing people our skills and continuing something that happens (every year),” she said.

For other members, the memories created by the performances are a little more specific. There are some people in the community who can’t get out as much as they maybe would like to in order to experience the holiday seasons.

For Reese Norton, another member with a couple of years under her belt, that’s an important part of not only what the Austinaires do, but the season itself.

“One thing I really liked is when we do get to go to all of the nursing homes and see the people that might not have much family around, or might not have any plans for the holidays,” Norton said. “They are dancing and singing. It’s just really sweet and heartwarming to be able to give them that feeling and experience.”

Being a part of Austinaires is more than just an obligation for those that take part in the group. All three recognize that Austinaires carries with it a legacy each time there is a performance — whether that’s a holiday event or the group’s spring show, which is their biggest performance of the year.

They are keenly aware that others know that as well.

“It’s also super fun to see the people who were in music or Austinaires themselves react to the fact that we are there and they are watching us,” Schuster said. “It’s fun.”

There are, of course, challenges. Perhaps the Austinaires’ most recognizable performance of the holidays is the walk they take as part of the Hometown Christmas event, which takes place this year on Nov. 29. For years, the group has walked in all kinds of different weather, all while showing off their outfits on cold, snowy or even rainy nights. Regardless of the challenges the singers enjoy the experience.

“It feels good, but it’s also very nerve racking because it is our first big performance of the year,” Norton said. “But it’s fun.”

Austinaires is also more than just the holidays. Singers have relished over the years the opportunities they’ve been afforded.

“We do a lot of Christmas around the town and we’ve gotten a lot of opportunities like singing at the (Minnesota) Timberwolves,” Puro said, adding later: “It’s busy but fun.”

Despite the hectic nature of the season and the performances that follow, Akkerman feels a lot of pride toward what the students are achieving and how they often take the lead.

Oftentimes, he’s more of a spectator than he is a director.

“It makes me proud,” Akkerman said. “I was an Austinaire too, and I remember how much work it was, but more so I remember it was a lot of fun. Once the work is done, the reward is 10-fold.”

“A lot of times, when we get to places and we go sing, I don’t even conduct them,” he continued. “I’m just here and I just sit back and watch.”

Throughout the years, the Austinaires have been an important part of the season in Austin and they likely will be for years to come. It highlights the importance of the music program at the school in a broad sense and how it gets students involved in the community.

That’s not lost on Akkerman, who views the choir’s importance in that machine as something that pulls people together from different areas of society.

“It’s important here for our students because it’s one of the most diverse vehicles we have,” he said. “Music can be infinitely diverse with infinite combinations and then we get to showcase that here with people form a multitude of backgrounds.”

“I think what they do most is listen to each other,” he continued. “That’s why it’s important for the school. You have all of these kids and they have to listen to each other. Your need to show up and listen and be a part of something greater than yourself. I think that’s a microcosm for what the world should be.”

For the students, it’s easier than that.

“Join choir,” Schuster said. “We need it.”