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Draft:Dondero Pop Concert

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The Dondero Pop Concert was a High School Rock Concert located in Royal Oak, Michigan. In 1967, Rick Hartsoe was named choir director and began adding pop songs to the choir’s song list. The Acappela choir’s Pop Concert was known for performing rock songs by bands such as Queen, Yes, and Boston. The concert was performed in March of every year from 1967 to 2006.[1]

History

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In the late 60s and 70s, the Dondero Pop Concert reached its height around the same time rock and roll was at its height. Some notable songs that were covered in that era were Stairway to Heaven and Purple Haze by Led Zeppelin and Jimi Hendrix. Also, Hotel California by the Eagles was performed by members of the same school that Glen Frey of the Eagles had gone to. The heavier sounds of the 80s, with a much heavier focus on lead guitar, influenced the concerts of the 80s and early 90s. The '90s and 2000s reflected its era with a greater emphasis on alternative rock with songs such as Tonic’s If You Could Only See.[2]

What made the concert innovative was the fact that rock music was sung and performed by a choir.[1][2] Similar projects in other schools and organizations came after, but the pop concert has the distinction of being one of the first examples of rock music being played and sung in high schools.[2][3] The choir director, Rick Hartsoe, believed that students could learn just as much from rock music as classical music. He explained, "We're not looking for easy songs or fun tunes. We're looking for music that challenges us," Hartsoe said.[4] "Once we started doing this, we realized that it can be as hard or harder than the classics."[4] The concert's pinnacle may have been reached when the choir and instrumentalists accurately replicated bands such as Queen and Yes, with the innovation of using Dondero High School's elite choir members to sing the complex harmonies of those progressive and art rock bands.[2] Every year, the Dondero Pop concert would end with the song Aquarius. The concert ended when Dondero High School closed in 2006.[5] The choir director Rick Hartsoe is known for his strictness and colorful ties.[6]

References

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  1. ^ a b "Local author releases book about Dondero Pop Concerts". Oakland Press. 16 June 2021. Retrieved 23 December 2024. https://www.theoaklandpress.com/2015/03/02/local-author-releases-book-about-dondero-pop-concerts/
  2. ^ a b c d Wurdock, Pete. Love Will Steer the Stars the history of the Dondero Pop Concert. Blue Boundary Book, 2015.
  3. ^ Royal Oak Tribune. 16 June 2021. Retrieved 23 December 2024.
  4. ^ a b "MR. HARTSOE’S OPUS". The Oakland Press. 17 June 2021. Retrieved 23 December 2024. Retrieved 23 December 2024. https://www.theoaklandpress.com/2006/03/17/mr-hartsoes-opus/
  5. ^ "Keenan: Mr. Hartsoe's Opus: Book celebrates Dondero Pop". The Detroit News. 17 June 2021. Retrieved 23 December 2024. https://www.detroitnews.com/story/life/columnists/marney-rich-keenan/2015/03/24/book-celebrates-history-dondero-high-school-pop-concerts/70407132/
  6. ^ "Three Hall of Fame Teachers-and Their Influence on a Newbie". Huffpost. 21 August 2014. Retrieved 23 December 2024.
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