![“[Building nerf blasters] became this outlet of creativity for me that hasn't been matched by anything else. The process [of] making a build complete to your desire is such a painstakingly difficult process, but I've had to learn from [the skills needed from] soldering to proper painting. There's so many different options for everything, if you think about it, it exists. The best part is [that] if it doesn't exist, you can build it yourself," Ishaan Parate said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/DSC_8149-900x604.jpg)
![“When I came into high school, I was ready to be a follower. But DECA was a game changer for me. It helped me overcome my fear of public speaking, and it's played such a major role in who I've become today. To be able to successfully lead a chapter of 150 students, an officer team and be one of the upperclassmen I once really admired is something I'm [really] proud of,” Anvitha Tummala ('21) said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Screen-Shot-2021-07-25-at-9.50.05-AM-900x594.png)
![“I think getting up in the morning and having a sense of purpose [is exciting]. I think without a certain amount of drive, life is kind of obsolete and mundane, and I think having that every single day is what makes each day unique and kind of makes life exciting,” Neymika Jain (12) said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Screen-Shot-2017-06-03-at-4.54.16-PM.png)
![“My slogan is ‘slow feet, don’t eat, and I’m hungry.’ You need to run fast to get where you are–you aren't going to get those championships if you aren't fast,” Angel Cervantes (12) said. “I want to do well in school on my tests and in track and win championships for my team. I live by that, [and] I can do that anywhere: in the classroom or on the field.”](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/DSC5146-900x601.jpg)
![“[Volleyball has] taught me how to fall correctly, and another thing it taught is that you don’t have to be the best at something to be good at it. If you just hit the ball in a smart way, then it still scores points and you’re good at it. You could be a background player and still make a much bigger impact on the team than you would think,” Anya Gert (’20) said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/AnnaGert_JinTuan_HoHPhotoEdited-600x900.jpeg)
![“I'm not nearly there yet, but [my confidence has] definitely been getting better since I was pretty shy and timid coming into Harker my freshman year. I know that there's a lot of people that are really confident in what they do, and I really admire them. Everyone's so driven and that has really pushed me to kind of try to find my own place in high school and be more confident,” Alyssa Huang (’20) said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/AlyssaHuang_EmilyChen_HoHPhoto-900x749.jpeg)
Rising from the front row, a group of singers rush to gather behind the microphones on the Zhang Gymnasium floor, captivating the audience seated atop the bleachers. Vocal music teacher Susan Nace springs into action as the students’ voices harmonize to the lively tune of Kool & the Gang’s “Celebration.”
Capriccio, an auditioned choral group featuring soprano, alto, tenor and bass voices, made their debut with their opening performance at matriculation. The newly formed group replaces Cantilena, previously a classical choral ensemble consisting of soprano and alto ranges.
Soprano Helen Gu (11), a former Cantilena member, acknowledged one key characteristic of Cantilena carrying over to Capriccio: the principles of openness in the musical world and member relations.
“We like to be able to accommodate everyone, and we like to take into consideration everyone’s preferences and needs,” Helen said. “Our choir also pays attention to people’s individual voices and voice types, so we don’t really expect anyone to conform in order to sound the same as everyone else. We really respect the individual vocal needs of everyone.”
Capriccio marks a departure from classical choral groups, removing the limitation of specific vocal ranges for members. The ensemble is a shift from previously established campus choirs, like Dolce Voce, Rhapsody and Cantilena.
While highlighting gender inclusivity, Capriccio also embraces diversity through a wide range of songs from different genres and those that utilize under-represented languages.
“I like to have traditional music, but I also like unusual things,” Nace said. “We’ll be doing some work that our other choirs have never even looked at before. For example, we’re going to be doing a song in Arabic.”
Bass section leader Nelson Gou (12) joined Capriccio after previously being a member of Rhapsody, the tenor and bass choral group. Despite Capriccio’s recent formation, Nelson notes the close relationships between the members due to previous collaborations between different ensembles, like Rhapsody and Dolce Voce.
“We’re all great friends,” Nelson said. “A lot of people in Capriccio are people that I know from last year, so it’s not too different. The bond carried over.”
The group will perform at the Anaheim Heritage Choral Festival from Mar. 27-30, and at on-campus shows like the Fall Choral Concert on Nov. 14. Soprano section leader Ava Cruz (10) expressed her excitement to showcase the new songs the group is currently learning at future events.
“There’s a lot of silly songs, and, at the same time, there’s a lot of complicated songs,” Ava said. “I’m looking forward to performing all of those.”
As Capriccio molds its presence as a campus choir, the group aims to distinguish itself from past singing ensembles through diverse repertoire, styles and vocal ranges. Nace hopes to continue nurturing variety within the group, exposing the members to knowledge beyond traditional standards.
“Most choral programs do things in French, Spanish, Italian, German and English,” Nace said. “I think it’s important that we expand those horizons as much as we can because choral music is incredibly European — it doesn’t have to be that way.”
