Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
Luther L. Wright High School's show choir Accent! will offer its spring concert Saturday at 7 p.m. at the Ironwood Theatre. Members include, from left: first row, Audrey Bastman, Kinley Lyons, Rico Braucher, Cody Schwartz, Alyssa Cannon and Grace Grewe; second row, Emma Gusman, Jenna Munsterman, Addy Sackmann, Josh Joki, Cole Clements, Matthew Clemens, Teiara Cotton, Haley Nezworski and Mackenzie Agee; third row, Angelina Jarvela, Jackie Wiemeri, Laney Osterholm, Dylan Taivalmaa, Andrew Burak, Sonny Midthun, Andrew Kwon, Shian Sabec and Emma Niemi; and fourth row, McKenna Anderson, Nick Backlund, Madi Clausen and Jordan Tanula.
By LARRY HOLCOMBE
Ironwood - Fresh off earning a Superior 1 rating at the state Solo and Ensemble Festival, Luther L. Wright High School's show choir Accent! will present its spring concert Saturday at the Ironwood Theatre.
Show time is 7 p.m., but doors open at 6.
Director and LLW choral teacher Lydia Mattson said the group was "super excited" about the 1 rating and is looking forward to the concert.
"They've been working really hard, including some extra rehearsals," she said. "We're going to do a lot of group numbers, a couple duets, quartet; and we're doing mostly classics over a few decades."
Mattson would "only give two songs away as we did them both for Solo and Ensemble and got a 1: "Africa" by Toto and "Memory" from "Cats."
Mattson will accompany Saturday's concert on keyboards, with help from local musicians Troy Puisto on guitar, John Grewe on drums and Matt Clausen on bass. Donny Osier and Peter Grewe are the sound crew.
There are 28 members of Accent!. Member Kinley Lyons, a junior, choreographed much of the show. "She's very talented. She's a cheerleader captain, too. It all translates," said Mattson.
She said the groups is also excited to perform at the theatre, where they loaded in on Sunday, got the band all set up and the risers, followed by a few nights of rehearsals this week in the grand space afforded there.
"Plus they've had extra 7 a.m. rehearsals this week," said Mattson. "They've been working hard. Monday and Tuesday morning they weren't fully awake, but then I don't know if I really was either."
This is Mattson's first year as choral director at LLW.
"It's been great. It's been stressful with a big learning curve, but it's been super fun," she said. "I find the kids the most fun."
Mattson teaches general music to third and fourth graders, as well as directing the fifth and sixth grade choirs, the middle school choir, high school concert choir and Accent!
Sammi Grace, the band teacher, also teaches general music in grades kindergarten through second.
This year's Accent! members auditioned at the end of last year for former music teacher Sandra Genisot. Mattson said there will be auditions for next year before the end of this school year. She also said Genisot helped this year with accompanying at the recent District Solo and Ensemble festival.
Mattson said it's been a busy first year, including a Christmas show at the theatre, large group festival in Hurley right away in 2018, and a month after that LLW hosted the district Solo and Ensemble Festival, leading to last weekend's state Solo and Ensemble.
Next up and right away is the spring choir concert on Tuesday at 6 p.m. in the school's second floor gym, including the sixth grade honors choir, middle school choir and high school concert choir.
