This past weekend, the McCallum Choir performed their annual Cabaret show, with this year’s theme being “A Knight in the Past.” The tradition, existing for over 15 years, is an opportunity for choir students to have more of a creative outlet and choreograph and audition pieces of their choosing. Students performed with various small groups, duets, and solos as well as with their choir classes and the show featured two large group numbers that involved the entire program, “American Idiot” by Green Day and “Always Look on the Bright Side of Life” from Monty Python which were student-choreographed Senior Robin Kulhanek. 

Choir director Nathan Thompson brainstorms the songs and themes for the year’s performance almost a year in advance with this year’s theme being centered around throwback songs, classified as pre-2010s. 

Sophomore Lucinda McCollum said she enjoys the annual Cabaret show because it allows for more theatrics than the traditional choir pieces. 

“It was really cool to see the pieces come together, especially with dance and costume,” McCollum said. “Usually choir isn’t so theatrical.” 

We are delighted to highlight McCallum Choir and this year’s Cabaret performance for this week’s Tuesday Top 10.

Gallery • 11 Photos

Katie Martin

COMING TOGETHER: Sophomore Camilla Miculek performs a small solo during the group performance of “American Idiot” by Green Day for the dress rehearsal on Saturday. Miculek was in two other performances along with “American Idiot,”  “Jolene” by Dolly Parton  and “Looking On the Bright Side of Life” by Monty Python.  Miculek said she loves seeing the show progress over time in rehearsals to become the grand production that it is.  “I love seeing all the other classes dancing and singing and coming together during rehearsals,” Miculek said.  Despite her practice, Miculek admitted that she did feel a bit nervous on stage, but overall said the show went great.  “I had a small solo, and I’m not super experienced in performing,” Miculek said, "but I had a lot of fun in the end, and I was really happy that I stuck it out with my friends.” Since Miculek has been in choir for two years now, this year’s Cabaret performance was another choir memory added to her book. Caption by Carlo Hinsdale. Photo by Katie Martin. 

MUSIC WITH A MUPPET: Senior Helena Loomis and sophomore Anna Fuller sing the duet “Man or Muppet” originally from Disney’s The Muppets. Loomis played the man and Fuller played the muppet.

“We were spontaneously singing it one day, as choir kids do,” Loomis said. “And she [Fuller] was jokingly like ‘What if we auditioned this for Cabaret?’ and then Mr. Thompson loved it.” 

The theme for this year’s Cabaret was ‘Knight in the Past,'” featuring songs from 2010 or prior. Loomis auditioned three acts, and two were chosen to be in the show. Out of all of her acts, the muppet performance was Loomis’s favorite. 

“Anna and I had so much fun,” Loomis said. “And my outfit matching the puppet’s didn’t come together until the end, so it was a surprise.”

Loomis said she initially started preparing her performance back in December. 

“We had lots of rehearsals with our wonderful pianist Maggie Brown,” she said. “We worked on staging it, and we had to try a bunch of different things to see what worked.”

Despite the long buildup to bring Loomis’ idea to life, she was not nervous to perform. 

“There were other numbers I was nervous for, but that one always had me hype,” she said. “It was so much fun, and we had all our friends coming to the wings to watch us.”

Caption by Jojo Barnard. Photo by Josie Mullan.

FALLING IN LOVE: Freshman Phoebe Wagner performs “Frank Mills,” from Hair for the choir’s closing night performance of Cabaret this past weekend. 

Wagner explained the point of the song is to highlight a girl who falls in love and is head over heels crazy for a punk rock boy. 

“This song is about a young girl, and she kinda falls in love, like love at first sight, with this rocker boy,” Wagner said.

Wagner said that the choir’s annual Cabaret show allows choir members to showcase a bunch of songs, with each class doing its own song and getting to show off its range of talents. 

“Cabaret is a compilation of songs from all the members of the choir program, and each different class does its own little song,” Wagner said.

For Wagner, the social aspect of Cabaret is her favorite part of the event because it allows her to connect with all different types of people in the choir program. 

“Normally we don’t get to talk to other people in other choirs that much, but I was grateful for being able to be in songs with other people from other choirs and grades,” Wagner said.

Overall, Wagner said choir has allowed her to express herself through her passions and be around people who have similar interests. 

“I like it because I get to sing and perform and dance, and it’s just another creative outlet that I really enjoy,” Wagner said.

Caption by Piper Norfolk. Photo by Josie Mullan.

WANNABE IN THE PAST: Freshman Maddie Jones (one to the right) performs in her class’s piece to “Wannabe” by the Spice Girls alongside freshman Phoebe Wagner (center). 

Wagner explained that choir director Nathan Thompson comes up with a theme for each performance with this year’s theme being centered around throwbacks.

“This year’s theme was ‘Knight in the Past,’ which was basically songs from before 2010 that most people would know,” Jones said. “I was in ‘American Idiot,’ ‘Wannabe’ and ‘Look on the Bright Side of Life.’”

Two of the performances Jones was in were performed by everybody in the choir program, while “Wannabe” consisted of just the freshmen choir class. Jones said her favorite piece was “Look on the Bright Side of Life.”

“It was kind of a tap piece, and we had props; it was very jazzy,” Jones said. “I liked this one the most because we were dancing.” 

Jones has been in three choir shows so far this year, and she feels that Cabaret has been the most fun because she was able to connect with upperclassmen. 

“It was so fun getting to see the seniors talking about their experiences,“ Jones said. “I think it’s always fun to hang out with people older than you.”

Even though she is only a freshman, Jones recognized how important the show was for the seniors, and the emotions that came along with it.

“I personally didn’t feel very emotional, but I think I will as I get older,“ Jones said. “I could see the emotion in the seniors; they definitely gave it their all.”

Caption by Tallulah McAuliffe. Photo by Josie Mullan.

JUST HAVING FUN: Senior Nathan Howard performs “Thrift Shop” by Macklemore alongside seniors Sadie Swinney, Avery Altuna and Jane Ahlquist. 

Howard said he was introduced to the piece when the three seniors he performed the song with asked him to perform the bass role for the song. 

“When Jane, Avery, and Sadie came up to me and asked if I would do ‘Thrift Shop’ with them, they had already figured out the whole thing and just needed a bass singer,” Howard said. “I was very reluctant, but I am glad I said yes. It was a super fun number.”

In the middle of the performance, Howard and the other performers engaged the audience, getting them to sing along with the legendary song. 

“I think we just wanted to have fun,” Howard said. “We each already had a serious song in the show, so it made sense to just be as goofy as possible. Plus, I think that we as seniors care less about what we do on stage.” 

As Howard is planning to continue his musical career at St. Olaf College next year as a music education major, Cabaret is an inspiration to him for what he might like to produce with his future students. 

“As someone who wants to be a music teacher when they grow up, I like to think that in some form or fashion, I will be running a show like ours soon enough,” Howard said. “It really is sad to see it go, but I’m excited to take up a new kind of role. Overall, I’m proud of everyone for putting on a great show.”

Caption and photo by Josie Mullan.

SMALL TOWN GIRL AND CITY BOY: Senior Zane Wiggins and sophomore Tegan Hahn perform solos in the Meistersingers’ (Mixed Choir) performance of “Don’t Stop Believin’” by Journey at the choir’s Sunday matinee performance of their annual Cabaret show at the MAC. 

Wiggins and Hahn both agree that the performances for both the whole program and the Meistersingers overall went well. Hahn said she enjoyed working with sophomore Fiona Kirsch, who was the student choreographer for the number. 

“The choreography by Fiona Kirsch was amazing and really contributed to the song,” Hahn said. “I [also] liked the overall message of the song; it was really fun to sing.” 

In general, there were a few challenges when it came to the process of creating Cabaret. Wiggins believes that the vocal parts of the song were difficult because it was an a cappella piece.

“First we had to learn the song, which is one of the most complex numbers vocally,” Wiggins said. “Then when it came to choreography it was more simple, but it took a lot of effort to get it right.” 

Hahn agreed with Wiggins, explaining that there can be some challenges to choreography since not everyone in the program has experience with dance. 

“Not all of us are musical theatre kids, so some people were really challenged with the choreography,” Hahn said. “But we rehearsed it for a little over a month and with time and with every rehearsal, it got better and better.” 

 Hahn said that she initially tried out for the solo because she wanted an opportunity to grow and sing solo in the show. 

“I was kind of sad that I hadn’t auditioned for a solo number,” Hahn said. “It would be fun to have just a little moment to shine in Cabaret, so I’m really glad I got the solo, and it made the whole process really fun.” 

Looking ahead, Hahn said she’s excited to see the new theme of Cabaret next year and hopes to audition with a duet and a solo piece.

“I have some friends coming into choir next year that I’ll get to audition with, and there’s a chance that we’ll be doing ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ [by Queen] in my choir,” Hahn said. “I love that song, and it would be a really cool experience.”  

As a senior, Wiggins said he will miss being able to participate in the show next year since he will be heading off to college. 

“I definitely miss seeing all the other performances backstage,” Wiggins said. “I’m going to try and see it next year, but I’m [also] gonna miss congratulating my friends after their numbers.”

Caption by Riley Pita. Photo by Josie Mullan.

GIMME GIMME GIMME A SHOW: Sophomore Finley McBride performs “Gimme Gimme Gimme (A Man After Midnight)” by ABBA for the dress rehearsal on Saturday morning. 

The choir performs Cabaret every year as a chance to contrast their usual performances, so instead of the usual classical pieces they sing more modern pieces. McBride said that although very different, she enjoys both forms of performance. 

“They’re each fun in their own way,” McBride said. “It’s fun to do classical because it’s more technical, but Cabaret is a fun way to bond with everyone.”

McBride helped choreograph the ABBA number, which added to the experience of performing it. 

“Keeping everyone together and balancing other students’ attention was hard, but it was a really fun thing to do and experience,” McBride said. 

McBride explained that she loves the environment of being on stage, and having fun with her friends during performances and that while performing, all that was going through her head was how much fun she was having. 

Caption by Adele Seeboth. Photo by Katie Martin.

SH-BOOM: During the choir Cabaret performance this past Saturday and Sunday, a quintet of choral singers performed “Sh-Boom” by The Chords, more commonly known as “Life Could be a Dream.” Freshman Max Marcus (second from the left) said that the audience’s enthusiasm made the work that went into the show rewarding. 

“I think it went pretty well,” Marcus said. “Everyone did pretty well. My parents told me I did good, so I think that made it worth it.”

Although the barbershop quintet was a success, the highlight of the entire show for Marcus was senior Nathan Howard’s solo performance.

“His [Howard’s] performance was smooth like butter,” Marcus said. “His solo was a real highlight to me, and I think it made my night.” 

Overall, Marcus said he’s looking forward to next year and his further work within the choir program.

“This year I was in the boys choir,” Marcus said. “I got into a mixed choir for next year. I can’t wait to see what we do.”

Caption by Arwen Pelletier. Photo by Katie Martin.

WORKING TOGETHER: Sophomore Elora Clark dances on stage to “Gimme Gimme Gimme (A Man After Midnight)” with the chamber choir for the dress rehearsal on Saturday. Clark was given an opportunity to choreograph the number with the help of sophomore Finley McBride, despite having no prior experience with choreography. 

“I did not volunteer for it,” Clark said. “I was asked to do it, so it was definitely interesting having to be on that side of things, but it was fun. I did it with help from Finley McBride so we had fun.”

Even though the number presented some challenges for Clark, it was still among her favorite performances from the Cabaret.

“I think my favorite number was probably ‘Gimme Gimme’ or ‘If Mama was Married,’ which was my duet with Sammy,” Clark said. 

To prepare for the show, choir students had continuous rehearsals in the months leading up to the shows.

“We did a lot of in-class rehearsals and then we had some rehearsals a month before the show to work it on stage,” Clark said. “It was mostly just working in class, and I would teach my choir number, and we would run what we had learned as a group.”

Caption by Daniela Di-Capua. Photo by Katie Martin.

COMING TOGETHER: Sophomore Camilla Miculek performs a small solo during the group performance of “American Idiot” by Green Day for the dress rehearsal on Saturday. Miculek was in two other performances along with “American Idiot,”  “Jolene” by Dolly Parton  and “Looking On the Bright Side of Life” by Monty Python. 

Miculek said she loves seeing the show progress over time in rehearsals to become the grand production that it is. 

“I love seeing all the other classes dancing and singing and coming together during rehearsals,” Miculek said. 

Despite her practice, Miculek admitted that she did feel a bit nervous on stage, but overall said the show went great. 

“I had a small solo, and I’m not super experienced in performing,” Miculek said, “but I had a lot of fun in the end, and I was really happy that I stuck it out with my friends.”

Since Miculek has been in choir for two years now, this year’s Cabaret performance was another choir memory added to her book.

Caption by Carlo Hinsdale. Photo by Katie Martin. 

AIN’T NO REST FOR THE WICKED: Freshman Eberly Cook performs “Ain’t No Rest for the Wicked” by Cage the Elephant for Sunday’s performance of McCallum Choir’s annual Cabaret show.  Cook also had a solo in the freshman choir’s performance of “Wannabe” by the Spice Girls and additionally closed the first act with her solo. 

Cook believes that the performances and process as a whole went well due to everyone being focused during the show. 

“We were all very engaged, quiet backstage, and everybody was prepared,” Cook said. “The choreography went very well, with little to no mistakes.” 

Cook decided on the song “Ain’t No Rest for the Wicked” since she loves the band and used to listen to it with her dad when she was younger. When Cabaret season rolled around, Cook felt that it was the perfect song selection for her. 

“One day I was listening to the song and I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, this would be so fun to do as a solo,’” Cook said. “I took it to heart, got my band involved, and we all played and loved it.”

There were a few challenges vocally for Cook. Since the song is in the lower part of Cook’s vocal range, Cook had to readjust to it. 

“I’m not necessarily an alto, so I was trying to figure out how to put my chest voice in the song as much as possible,” Cook said. “So, when I was belting at the high part, I wasn’t tired or had a lack of control when performing it.”

Cook’s favorite part about performing the song was the audience participation. While performing the song, Cook felt a big connection with the audience. 

“They were very involved, they clapped with the song and cheered,” Cook said. “Having a good audience was very fun for me.”

Cook said she’s looking forward to the new solos that are to come at next year’s Cabaret performance and the new opportunities people will get from the new theme. 

Caption by Riley Pita. Photo by David Winter.

BITTERSWEET FAREWELL: Senior Sam Kruck sings his solo “Kokomo” by The Beach Boys at the closing performance of Cabaret. 

As the stage manager, Kruck was able to be very involved with the show which he thought closed out his choir days at Mac well. 

“I had a lot of fun doing Cabaret this year,” he said. “It was a nice way to end my senior year in choir. I didn’t play any other major roles, but I was a stage manager and contributed a lot, so I’m glad I had fun.”

Kruck said his favorite part of choir has always been the people .

“What I enjoy most about choir is being able to put on shows with my friends,” he said. “I love singing and being in shows with my close friends, so I’m going to miss that next year.”

As a senior, Kruck said he’ll definitely miss doing choir after his graduation.

“I’ll miss being able to have these performances,” he said. “I’ll really miss the people I’ve been surrounded by for this time. I’ll also miss doing the masterworks concert we do in the fall.”

Caption by Fletcher Vandegrift. Photo by Dave Winter.