It was the week of music and holiday cheer, and West Chicago Community High School’s choir was the first to start the season with their annual holiday concert on Dec. 12. under the direction of music teacher Brandon Fantozzi. The concert, mixed and chamber choirs, as well as the Leman Middle School eighth grade choir, treated audiences to festive tunes during the hour-long program in Weyrauch Auditorium.The concert featured traditional Christmas, Hanukkah, and Latin music, including "It’s Beginning to Look Like Christmas", "Veni Veni Emmanuel", and "Eight Days of Lights"."The songs show the diversity, and not being stuck in just one culture, and obviously just embracing other cultures, other holidays and not just the same ones," junior Adamary Vega said.Unlike other concerts this year, the performers did not wear the traditional robe and dress, but instead opted out for ugly Christmas sweaters and scarves. Many of the sweaters featured Fantozzi's face in a tribute to the music teacher known as "Fan".Like other choir concerts, there are two songs that split the performers up by vocascarvese: higher voices (altos and sopranos) sang "The First Noel", and lower voices (basses, tenors, and baritones) performed "We Need a Little Christmas".The evening ushered in performances by Leman's choir as well, who sang two songs."Music brings people together. It sounds corny, but it's true," junior Ismael Trinidad said.Fantozzi dedicated a portion of time to honor the five students who qualified for the Illinois Music Education Association (ILMEA), including sophomore Milly Mora-Zarco, senior Cora Garling, sophomore Nick Riconoscuto, sophomore Gwen Nika, and senior Francis Moffatt, all who performed at the district concert in early November.Mora-Zarco made it into ILMEA State, which will require him to travel to Peoria to sing among the best singers in Illinois.

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