The view of the choir may not have been great from the perspective of audience members who stood in the aisles, sat on the floor and crowded the foyer during the Oct. 29 choir concert. Due to the popularity of the choir, huge audience attendance at the fall concert led to two performances of the Christmas choir concert to help ensure that all audience members have seats.
The fall choral concert was attended by an 800 to 900 audience members who overcrowded the auditorium, which can comfortably seat 750 to 800.
"We have 200 students in choir (this year) - which is more than ever - and just their family and friends would fill the house," said choir director Kevin Allen-Schmid.
According to auditorium manager Martha Overbeek, most audience members arrived at least 15 minutes early for the fall concert; at least 100 people showed up 45 minutes early.
"There was a lot of people," said Andy Nelson, a member of the FHS choir council. "It was crowded but that was good because it shows that a lot of people are getting into music."
Fire Marshall Richard Seddon, however, wrote to FHS Principal Cathy McDevitt expressing concern that "there were too many people in the auditorium to easily evacuate the building," he said.
Due to overwhelming audience attendance and fire regulations, Allen-Schmid decided to do two performances of the holiday concert, Tuesday and Thursday.
Senior Emilie Cassan, another member of the choir council, recalls the seating problem at the fall concert.
"We looked out and all we saw was people. They were out in the foyer and the balcony. The entire auditorium was full and people were sitting in the isles. I don't know how many the auditorium seats but (the audience) was way beyond its capacity."
After Tuesday's performance, Cassan said the two-concert arrangement worked well: "It was a lot less crowded. It made it easier for the choirs when they weren't performing. They actually had a place to sit."