With closed eyes and a deep breath, junior Laura Schulze readies herself for a momentous performance. The air fills with anticipation as the crowd buzzes, while fellow choir students exchange whisper words of encouragement, silently wishing each other good luck.
The Bowie Choir Program debuted its Cabaret piece titled “Hidden Connections” which premiered on May 12 and May 13. Students from all grades came together to perform a vocal and theatrical mix of entertainment. Schulze was featured in the varsity treble song Holding Out for a Hero by Bonnie Tyler.
“The Cabaret is basically a big Glee show,” Schulze said. “It consisted of a ton of singing, dancing, and collaborative work with the whole choir program.”
Hidden Connections featured many different pieces from solos, duets, and ensembles. The Bowie choir program hosts a cabaret each year, but according to sophomore Bubba Infante, this year was special in the way that there were more theatrical elements than ever.
“This year’s cabaret consists of a lot more theatricality,” Infante said. “We have full choreography, props, and staging. The communication on stage with all these elements made the show great.

According to Infante, the preparation process for the cabaret was intense, as the group wanted to ensure a quality performance that kept the audience entertained.
“While we preferred to have in-class, work-time, we ended up practicing outside of school a lot,” Infante said. “For the week leading up to the cabaret we had a lot of rehearsals for choreography and blocking so we could feel confident going into the performance and get the choreography ingrained in our brains.”
The choir program hosts many different events throughout the year such as competing in UIL and hosting different concerts for the community. According to Schulze, the cabaret is special because of the number of individual talents that are featured.
“I take voice lessons at Bowie and it has helped me a lot because it’s taught me to be open with my voice,” Schulze said. “I used to be really shy singing solos, but I’ve grown to be a lot more comfortable singing which helped a lot in the cabaret.”
Choir teacher Aaron Bourgeois agrees that the cabaret has a lot of opportunities for individual expression. In the preparation process, students were able to prepare their own solo to bring to the table.
“The kids bring songs to auditions that they really love and enjoy,” Bourgeois said. “I think with that element, you really see their performance shine more than usual because they care a lot about making sure those songs are performed well. Letting students prepare their songs shows in their expression as well.”
Infante was one of fifteen soloists who were chosen to showcase their talent in the cabaret. Infante prepared and auditioned with a Spanish song, Besame Mucho by Christina Aguilera.
“The Bowie choir program has helped me grow tremendously as a singer,” Infante said. “I’ve been put in positions where I’ve had to really push myself. Ever since making the second chair at the state competition, I feel like I just have to one-up myself every time I perform which helps my singing improve so much.”
The students in the cabaret were selective and most have been in choir since middle school. According to Bourgeois, the feeder middle schools leading into Bowie have strong choir programs that bring a lot of talent to the table.
“Many people think of Performing Arts electives as an easy class to be in,” Bourgeois said. “But to do really well at singing, it takes a lot of concentration and focus. The kids who are in this program, for the most part, have been really building up their skills over the last few years.”
According to Schulze, as the choir program finishes out the year, they are excited for new members and the opportunities that will arise next fall.
“If you like singing in any capacity, even if you’re afraid of singing by yourself, you should join the choir program,” Schulze said. “Choir is such a good community and no one will force you to do anything other than have fun.”