The Eighth Annual Not-So-Silent Night Concert took place in the Buena High School Auditorium Thursday, Dec. 9 and performed fun festive songs to get people into the Holiday spirits. Some songs such as “Christmases When You Were Mine” originated from Taylor Swift, and were sung by junior Annalise Yenney. Another is “Joy to the World” originally by Sufjan Stevens, was performed by juniors Roselyn Vera and Mariah Young.

The stage was decorated with props made from Buena drama teacher Karen Rodgriguez’s stagecraft class and ASB students. These decorations included snow-covered tree boards with presents and stuffed animals under them. Holiday white lights surrounded the exterior of the stage along with white paper-snowflakes. On stage was a piano to the left side of the audience and a few rows of benches with a white background. The lights were illuminating Christmas colors on the stage curtains and Christmas music playing on the speakers.

“This show means the world to me and I’m so grateful I get the chance to have students perform here again after two years,” choir teacher Kevin Downey said. “I’m grateful to have students express themselves again.”

The event began with Downey, greeting the audience, saying a few words of thanks towards all those who have contributed to the concert that night. The BHS Choir along with junior Nathan Monteil, who is on the baritone saxophone, started off the production singing, ”Underneath the Tree ” originally by Kelly Clarkson. All the students on-stage were wearing different winter outfits such as red plaid pajama pants, santa hats, ugly sweaters, a santa costume, christmas onesies and christmas light necklaces.

Seeing all the students wearing fun outfits along with the festive stage decorations, showed the beauty of Christmas and winter just brought a feeling of joy to the crowd.

More songs later sung by the BHS Choir are the “Breath Of Winter,” originally Hal Leonard Choral, “Hanukkah”, and “Christmas (Baby, Please Come Home)” , originally from Mariah Carey. Of course songs were just performed by the BHS choir, but also by more talented students. We even got a sight of listening to the Buena Sax Quartet perform “The Christmas Song” from Nat King Cole.

Throughout the concert singers were singing in cheerful tones and even through the song the audience began to clap along to the beat. Towards the end of song one, we got a fun and lively solo act of Montiel performing on his Bari Saxophone.

After the first song, everyone in the audience was ready for the next to play. Buena librarian Joel Levin who first publicly debuted his and friends’ own original song, ”Hau’oli Hanukkah”.

“We wanted to write a song about Hanukkah because those songs are very underrated. So we came up to write and to sing a Hawaiian Hanukkah song,” Levin said.

As the performances went on the stage lights changed colors to go along with the performer and as the colors clashed with the spotlight it was just a sight to see. Even with the masks you could see the students singing with a smile on their faces.

“Having a lot of new choir students, having and seeing the growth in four months is just incredible,” Downey said.