Fort Myers High School Choral Department

In an effort to raise funds for special projects, I've opened up an account at:

http://www.donorschoose.org/mkoller 

Please visit the site and forward the address to family and friends.  Thank you!

Welcome to Fort Myers High School!  The choral music department is one of the most successful programs on campus, and we hope that you'll choose to be a part of it.

If you don't think you're a good singer, that's OK!  Dare me to teach you.  No experience in singing is needed, and no audition is required.  Just sign up for the Vocal Techniques class, and bring your friends! 

Have a look around the site at some of our videos (on the NEWS page). 

Come join our family.  We can't wait to meet you!

 -Mr. Koller

Auditions for next year's ensembles will take place on May 7 from 4:00-6:00pm in the chorus room. 

Here's a run-down of the ensembles we'll be offering next year:

Vocal Techniques:  Our beginning choir.  No audition is needed.  Just sign up!  Men and women in grades 9-12.

Fermata:  Our intermediate girls' choir for those in grades 10-12.  An audition is required.

Greenwave Singers:  Our advanced mixed choir.  Girls in grades 10-12, Men in grades 9-12.  An audition is required.

Soundwave:  Our female showchoir/a cappella choir.  Girls in grades 9-12.  An audition is required.

Chamber Choir:  Extra curricular a cappella ensemble.  We will audition after school begins in August.

Girls auditioning for Soundwave should prepare 16 bars of broadway or pop song.  You may bring sheet music, a CD (without vocals on it) or sing it a cappella.

You do not need to prepare anything for the rest of the ensemble auditions.

See you soon!

What a fantastic year we've had here in the FMHS Choral Department.  Here is a list of some of the masterworks we performed:

Daniel Pinkham's Christmas Cantata with the Fort Myers Symphonic Mastersingers

GF Handel's Messiah (Part 1) with the Fort Myers Symphonic Mastersingers

Franz Schubert's Mass in G

Gabriel Faure's Messe Basse

Henry Purcell's opera Dido and Aeneas (fully staged)

Ola Gjeilo's The Spheres

Felix Mendelssohn's Psalm 100

JS Bach's Sanctus in d minor

Antonio Vivaldi's Gloria (mvt. 1)

PLUS an array of madrigals and a cappella pop songs!

Come join us next year!  There is no experience necessary.  All you need is a great attitude and a willingness to learn.  You do not need to audition to be a member.  Just sign up with your guidance counselor!

Congratulations to Shaunna Lazzaro, a three year member of Soundwave and 2011 graduate of FMHS, for landing a roll in the movie Step Up 4!  Shaunna is playing the part of a dancer and will be filiming in August and September 2011. 

We are so proud of you, Shaunna!

This is a really great picture of the orchestra and choirs performing Handel's Hallelujah Chorus.  It was taken during the Prism Concert, 4/20/2011.

This piece was commissioned by Mr. Koller in 1997 for The Emmaus Chamber Choir. 

Congratulations to Fermata and Greenwave Singers for receiving SUPERIOR performance ratings at our Music Performance Assessment!

On Friday January 14, 2011, The Westminster Choir from Princeton, NJ came to FMHS for a workshop with our choral students!  It was a fabulous experience for all of us.  They sang for us, and then Greenwave Singers sang for them.  Mr. Koller even got to join them for the Bach motet Lobet denn Herrn, alle Heiden.  After we sang for them their director, Dr. Joe Miller, answered many questions for our students.  The morning concluded with the two choirs singing The Lord Bless You And Keep You, by Peter Lutkin.  Here are a few pictures from the morning.  If you want to see more, go to the Westminster Choir page on Facebook.

This is the tentative schedule for this year.  See you all soon!

Period 1 - AP Music Theory

Period 3 - Music Theory 1

Period 5 - IB Theatre

Period 7 - Fermata (Vocal Ensemble I-IV)

Period 2 - Vocal Workshop (Vocal Techniques I-IV)

Period 4 - Greenwave Singers (Chorus I-II)

Period 6 - Planning

Period 8 - Soundwave (Chorus High/Low Range I-II)

Congratulations to the following students for winning awards for their roles in Sweeney Todd!

Morgan Beebe - Best Supporting Actress for her role as the Beggar Woman

Nicole Minott - Best Lead Actress, Runner Up for her role as Mrs. Lovett

Sydney Scodras - Best Supporting Actress, Runner Up for her role as Joanna

Sweeney Todd was a tremendous undertaking for us.  All of our students put their heart and soul into the production, and were rewarded with an experience unlike any other.  As I watched the video vignette last evening, I was reminded of what an incredibly talented and dedicated cast we had.  I am blessed to be able to work with the fine students of Fort Myers High School, and I look forward to many more opportunities to allow them to shine.

Congratulations to the whole cast for their hard work!

Tyler Bishop, a member of Soundwave and Influx, has just received a full scholarship to the Music Theater department at Marshall University!  Way to go!

FOR PROSPECTIVE FRESHMEN

Fort Myers High School offers many different types of music classes.  There should be something here for everyone!  You can read more about the choirs on our "About Us" page, and hear clips of them on our "Music" page.

Verdigris

Fermata

Soundwave (ever watch Glee?)

Influx

Guitar

Piano

IB Theatre

We are also discussing the possibility of creating an early music ensemble which would specialize in music from the medieval, renaissance, and baroque musical periods.  This would be a joint project with Mr. Dahlberg and the Instrumental Music Department, and would be a fantastic opportunity to enrich our IB Music program.

What are you waiting for?  Come join the Greenwave Family Music Department!

We would like to arrange concerts in a few churches throughout the area.  Requirements would be good acoustics, a piano that's in tune, and maybe an organ.  Email Mr. Koller if you have a possible venue.

We are in need of an organ to use with our choral ensembles.  The organ would be used as a primary form of accompaniment.  It should be more of a "church" or "traditional" organ rather than a "theater" organ.  Examples could be a pump organ, reed organ, portative organ, or a newer model electric organ with traditional church stops. If you know of one that could be donated, please email Mr. Koller at matthewcko@leeschools.net.

Congratulations to the cast of Sweeney Todd! 

Sweeney Todd - Tyler Bishop

Mrs. Lovett - Nicole Minott

Johanna - Sydney Scodras

Anthony - Ian Gallogly

Judge Turpin - Michael Messina

The Beadle - Schuyler Kessler

Beggar Woman - Morgan Beebe

Toby - Alex Voelmle

ROLES TBD:  Pirelli, Jonas Fogg, Lucy Barker

Your first rehearsal is this Friday from 2-4.

Chorus parts will be posted on the chorus room door tomorrow morning.  Congratulations! 

Auditions for our 16 voice a cappella group INFLUX will be on Wednesday August 26 and Thursday August 27.  You will be required to prepare a song of your choice, any genre which you will sing a cappella.  There will also be three prepared pieces which will be available in the chorus room on the first day of school.

Auditions for our Fall Musical, Sweeney Todd, are upcoming also!  Dates and information are posted on the CALENDAR page!

Here's the official schedule for the chorus room this year! Classes will be on two days.  Day one is 1,3,5,7, Day two is 2,4,6,8.

Period 1 - AP Music Theory/Music Theory

Period 2 - Guitar/Keyboard (not sure of this combo yet)

Period 3 - Guitar/Keyboard

Period 4 - Soundwave

Period 5 - IB Theatre

Period 6 - PLANNING

Period 7 - Verdigris

Period 8 - Fermata (formerly Concert Choir)

THANK YOU EVERYONE FOR A FANTASTIC YEAR!

New calendar dates for next year are now posted on the "calendar" page.  Included are the dates for INFLUX auditions.

Enjoy your summer!  You know where to reach me if you need something.

Congratulations to INFLUX who placed First Runner Up in the International Championship of High School A Cappella Southern Semifinals held at Cypress Lake High Schoo!  They performed I Can't Help Falling In Love With You, Dido's Lament, and Lizzie Borden.  Kelsey Pinkard performed the solo in Dido's Lament to rave reviews from the judges, and Ian Gallogly and Tyler Bishop received many compliments from audience members for their solos in Lizzie Borden.

I was extremely proud of their performance and of the effort they put forth in preparing for this.   I was equally impressed with how gracious and appreciative they were to the group that beat us, The Eighth Notes, from Texas A&M High School.  INFLUX gave them a standing ovation (the only other school to do so) and congratulated them for their outstanding performance.

It was a wonderful evening of a cappella music, and INFLUX made Fort Myers High School proud, both in performance and attitude.

Go Greenies!

Last evening our women’s chorus, Verdigris, participated in the Florida Vocal Association MPA (music performance assessment). We prepared two selections for three judges who adjudicated us, and then we had to sight read a rhythmic exercise and a three part vocal exercise. Our young ladies received four SUPERIOR ratings, the highest possible. All of the judges were impressed with the maturity of our sound. Some of the comments we received were, “Beautiful tone, ladies. The sound is so free and unified.” and “I love your sound! You have a great sense of ensemble, balance, and blend”. Congratulations!

Soundwave, Fort Myers High School's show choir, opened for Gavin DeGraw yesterday at the Edison Festival of Light Stadium Show! They performed Accidentally In Love, Friends in Low Places, Where Is The Love, Jesus Take The Wheel, and Life Is A Highway. They were also joined by members of the GREASE cast performing We Go Together and Grease Lighting. It was a very exciting experience for all of us. We would like to express our gratitude to the folks from the Edison Festival, especially John Taylor and Emory, the sound technicians from Brent's Music, and Gavin DeGraw for taking a few minutes to chat with us yesterday. Congratulations, Soundwave!