the final bow

Simon Utterback has been a crucial member of our school’s choir department for the past few years after transferring here from West during the pandemic. He has taken on many leadership roles, such as participating in the choir council, acting as a music librarian, and being the section leader for the tenors and Choral-Aires. But he wasn’t always on the top. He had to work hard just like everyone else.

During the sixth grade, Utterback switched from band to choir, where he discovered his passion for singing. Other outside influences have also inspired and fueled Utterback’s interest, including his own mother. “I hear her singing a lot,” Utterback mentions. “I’ve always wanted to sound like her.” Utterback’s fascination in performing also sprouted from musical artists, specifically the atmosphere in which bands interact during concerts. “Seeing that in person influenced me to want to do something similar,” he describes.

One of the most memorable performances of Utterback’s career was his most recent concert in March, where he and several other choirs performed an original piece composed by Jacob Narverud titled “Peace Flows.” Central, West and the middle schools performed the song together at Interlochen Center for the Arts. Narverud wrote the piece specifically for TCAPS, and according to Utterback, this commission had been in the works for quite a long time. “He [Narverud] came to Traverse City and put his input on everything because he knew how it was supposed to sound,” Utterback comments. “I think that was the best part.”

Utterback’s performing skills have also been proven prominent with his participation in local musicals. In freshman year, he took his theater debut as a part of the chorus for Fiddler on the Roof. Utterback has been able to connect his experience in choir to working in musical, taking what he has learned and applying it to his role as the Narrator in Central’s production of Into The Woods this year. “Everything I’ve learned from choir needs to be used in [the] musical,” he explains. According to Utterback, stage presence has been a huge carryover between the two arts. “You don’t want your audience to know you’re nervous,” Utterback remarks. Whenever experiencing stage fright, Utterback reminds himself that he is “there for a reason and people want to see [him] perform.”

Utterback thinks anyone considering joining choir should take the jump because they will not regret it. “It gave me a sense of community when I felt like I didn’t have one,” he highlights. “The people you meet in choir are just special.” Choir helped him outside of the classroom as well, as he gained lifelong friends and learned more about teamwork and communicating with others effectively. He also recognized the struggles for newcomers and their fears of not succeeding in a way they hoped. “The skills that you grow do not happen overnight, and it’s really easy to say you want to quit,” he adds. Nonetheless, Utterback encourages anyone thinking about participating in choir to follow their heart and use the class as an opportunity to grow: “Just keep at it, [and] people will start to respect you for doing something you’re passionate about.”//