Anticipation and exhilaration filled the crowd of families, community members and alumni as they watched Bonita Vista High’s (BVH) Vocal Music Department (VMD) debut the performance of their festival season. On Feb. 14 Sound Unlimited and Music Machine illuminated the theater at Abraham Lincoln High with their own interpretations of the themes “Detention” and “The Sword and the Stone,” which inspired their respective sets. Both performances were received with standing ovations by the audience.

Music Machine Alumni Hugo Sanchez was a spectator at the performance, which he feels went really well, and he revealed his delight in watching the show and meeting his former colleagues. Current performer junior Aldo Mota also felt pride in the performance despite his nervousness while still he proclaims they work well due to their blended vibe and communication. Music Machine director Michael Klein declared that he had no idea what to expect but he feels there has been a positive change. 

“Tonight the entire event went on without a single hitch. There were no problems. The kids were professional and our parents and community helped out a ton. It was really great,” Klein said.

According to Jacob Kucinski, sophomore and member of BVH Music Machine, he explains how Music machine is a competitive show choir, which means we compete against other schools with a performance comprised of singing and dancing.

The excitement and thrill has been expressed behind the themes for the Music Machine Performance. Sanchez believed the sets were really well done due to his appreciation of its good narrative and the stage designs. Mota also expressed his satisfaction in the set by declaring them as unique and cohesive stories. 

“It is weird seeing something in your brain come to life. It’s really an awesome experience and the great thing is I don’t have to do it alone. There are many minds that came together into this,” Klein said. “It’s cool to see it up close and personal. I think we’re going to do an amazing job with our show design. The kids love it. Everyone likes it. We’re having fun.”

According to Sanchez, he was impressed when he saw the performance. He noticed growth and improvement to the show from when he last performed for BVH music machine.

“The last debut that I was in they didn’t have a full show. They don’t show The Middle School choir or the or the baron concert choir, they would only show the two performances of Sound Unlimited and Music Machine. They usually didn’t have all their songs ready like this time,” Sanchez said.

Klein, having been hired during the second semester of the 2018-1019 school year, has used his established style as a director while maintaining past traditions. Klein desires for people to know what actually goes into a show choir competition with a notable aspect of this performance being the emphasis on showing what occurs behind the curtain. 

According to Klein, he wanted the audience to recognize the amazing techs and their work behind the scenes. Sanchez claims that this was an interesting sight for various alumni in attendance because the former director would never choose to show this. 

“It went really well. I’m friends with all the people in both groups and I like seeing them perform because it reminds me of nostalgia of being in the group. I like seeing people that I told to sing and others I told to sing solos when I was there. Now they’re singing solos and they’re singing with power,” Sanchez said.