POPs Concert Marks 43rd Year at Kent Roosevelt

Anticipation is brewing for the 43rd Annual POPs Concert at Theodore Roosevelt High School on May 17.

Corey Fowler, director of choirs at Kent Roosevelt, will lead the show for the first time after taking over the program from Donna Crews.

Fowler said all 32 songs that will be performed were chosen by the students.

"It’s an interesting way how it’s set up," Fowler said.

First, seniors in the high school choir choose 20 songs from material performed throughout the course of the year. Then, the seniors create a ballot that the entire choral ensemble votes on to whittle the selection down to eight songs that will be sung by the entire chorus.

"This is a great way for the students to have their say because the rest of the year the normal choir music we sing I’m selecting it based on the educational needs of the groups," Fowler said.

"We have an amazing group of seniors this year," he said. "They’re really big leaders within the group. So it’s going to be sad to see them go."

This year's selections include SkyFall, which was written by Adele for the James Bond film of the same title.

"In years past, they haven’t really done any modern pop pieces," Fowler said. "I kind of made sure there were a few in there that the kids would experience that they’re growing up with in addition to ones the audience members grew up with."

Aside from eight group songs, numerous soloists and ensembles will perform during the annual show.

Tickets go on sale to the public Monday. You'll want to act fast, as the show typically sells out the 1,200 seat auditorium at the high school.

Fowler said standing room only has not been an uncommon sight at past shows because of the deep roots of the program.

"At this point, there’s people who have even grandchildren singing in it, and they sang in 1970 when it first started," Fowler said. "So there’s a long history in the community with the program."