Ferris High School’s choir, orchestra, and band programs are back in the auditorium this fall. The performances have been split into three days across the last two weeks of October. Audiences enjoyed the choir concert on October 19th, orchestra on October 21st, and band on October 27th. All three concerts have been filmed and posted, so that those who were not able to attend them still can through the internet.   

In the school year of 2020-2021, the fall concerts were canceled due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Since then, with necessary precautions, the music program was able to get back on schedule and perform as usual.  

“We do have to space out our groups a bit more than normal and use our masks, but the great thing is that we can still have the concerts and perform for family, friends, and the community,” said orchestra director, Chris Ehrlich.  

In the previous concert, in spring of 2021, around 400 guests were welcomed into the auditorium for a live performance while being distanced from each other. However, this time the auditorium is open without a cutoff.  

Although this year is almost back to normal, with the exception of masks, the choir performance was still different from previous years.  

“Our performance really depends on our face and facial expressions to get across the lyrics of the songs that we’re singing, so we’re having to work extra hard to create expression just from, you know, the bridge of your nose to your forehead which is pretty hard,” said choir director, Barbara Tappa, “with that being said, I would much rather be here singing with masks and seeing every kid everyday than back to where we were before. It’s much better than singing online.” 

Music at Ferris is meant to be shared, and the those sharing it are filled with excitement. 

“It’s exciting because we’re all together again, performing on stage like we always used to and so getting the opportunity to do that again is the best. And we can’t wait, we’ve been working on the music since September and we are pumped to present what we have on stage,” said music and band director, Ben Brueggemeier.