Over the past weekend, the Hunterdon Central Regional High School Pit Orchestra took part in the performance of an original musical comedy titled “The Holiday Musical That Goes Wrong.” The show was led by the Hunterdon Harmonizers, a local adult choir group, and was full of joy and holiday spirit. This year, the orchestra celebrates nearly a decade of participation in the event. Mr. Magalio, a music teacher at Hunterdon Central and director of the Pit Orchestra (in addition to the Marching Band), shared some interesting insights on the show and its history.
The 2023 performance was written by two brothers who are members of the Harmonizers, named Christian and Dan Hunter. The show was a musical comedy, incorporating a variety of well-loved holiday songs. In the past, various collaborators have contributed to the event, but for the last few years, the Hunter brothers have composed the majority of the show. “They invited me to be a stage director and choreographer for their productions back in 2014, and I asked if we could allow the school pit orchestra to serve as their pit ensemble as well,” Mr Magalio shares. “While the HC Pit’s main responsibility is the school musical that takes place in March, we typically do not receive the music for that production until late December, so I like to have the group rehearse together ahead of time. This way they can get used to their sound. It has been a wonderful collaboration ever since.”
Putting on a show requires a lot of time, effort, and practice. Mr Magalio provided some insight into the process of preparing for the event. For the Harmonizers, rehearsals occur weekly. The same goes for Vocal Synergy and Evolutions in Harmony, the two other choirs that performed at the event. All of these choirs are a part of the Hunterdon Choral Alliance, which is a performing arts organization that helps encourage and support local chorus groups. For the holiday show, these groups sang the musical numbers, while the orchestra provided live instrumental accompaniment. Each group has been practicing the holiday music weekly since around September, except for the orchestra, which began rehearsing in early November. A week before the show, all the groups came together to finalize the performance in Central’s auditorium. “They are a wonderful community ensemble that is a joy to work with,” says Magalio on working with the Hunterdon Harmonizers. “I had the good fortune of actually singing with the Harmonizers when I was in high school and college (also serving as an assistant director for some of that time). It is great that they have lasted for nearly 40 years and continue to put on wonderful performances. They have expanded their focus to three separate community vocal ensembles that provide performance opportunities for anyone of any age wishing to sing!”
Mr. Magalio also shared about the pit orchestra’s frequent performances with other groups, such as the Harmonizers, the HCRHS choir, and the theater program. “The Pit is made up of quite a few members of our advanced full orchestra that performs separate concerts. There really is not much difference when we are playing any stand-alone pieces. When we perform a piece as an accompanying group (like the Hallelujah Chorus with the Harmonizers and other ensembles, for instance), we do have the added responsibility of performing with a specific volume balance in mind, making sure that we do not overpower the singers.”
Overall, the performance was quite a success for performers and audience members alike. “We look forward to future collaborations with the Hunterdon Harmonizers and the Hunterdon Choral Alliance,” Mr. Magalio shared. If you want to see the pit orchestra in action, consider attending the school musical, “ Something Rotten!” in March.
