Songs Around the Campfire is a one-of-a-kind choral concert hosted in collaboration with the LBCC Viking Singers, Viking Chorale and theater arts students on Oct. 25 in the Jenni Rivera Performing Arts Center.
The Sunday afternoon performance was thanks to the cooperation of multiple groups on campus, with instrumental students playing on stage with the choir, theater students acting alongside the songs and the culinary program making s’mores for concessions.
“I’ve never done anything like it before. I just love collaboration and this went beyond just the choral music class,” Skye Angulo, the director of the concert and professor of Choral Studies, said.
The show included active audience engagement with a storyline changing perspectives from two groups of people on stage: a group of college-aged friends and a multigenerational family.
“It’s a very interactive performance that really feeds off the audience,” Haziel Martinez, Viking Singers soloist who sang La Bamba in the performance, said.
Sunday’s performance was to not only be a reflection of the fall season and be relatable to the people on campus, but also to promote a message of unity and peace with songs such as “Stand by Me,” “Over the Rainbow” and “Peace Song.”
The concert program balanced secular and spiritual songs, bringing together music from different choral traditions.
The concert was well received by audience members despite minor technical difficulties, including a microphone being turned off during a performance, which prevented some soloists from being heard over the instrumentals.
“It was a really nice concert, but I just felt bad for the soloists because they went through some technical problems and we couldn’t hear them as well. But their singing was really nice and they had nice song choices,” Linda Blackwell, mother of Viking Chorale performer Lindsey Johnson, said. “I really liked how they seemed to pick appropriately aged soloists for the pieces.”
Soloist William Wilson takes the stage performing “True Light” by Keith Hampton at the Songs Around The Campfire concert held at the Jenni Rivera Performing Arts Center Little Theater on Oct. 25, 2026. The Concert took place with on stage actors adding to the experience. (Olin Archuleta)
Most students outside of choir volunteered to help Director Angulo on the project, with an open casting call being announced through performing arts professors Collin Bressie and Jessica Baron.
“I was very nervous because I had a lot to improv, but it’s just such a great feeling to be able to get up on stage and be creative,” Andrew Knierim, a performer on stage as part of the college-aged group and a member of Angulo’s Caroling Choir, said.
As an ode to the Native American land LBCC is built on, Angulo recited LBCC’s land acknowledgement of the college’s occupation on Gabrielino and Tongva native lands, something which she encourages our school to do more of at events.
The Viking Choir has an upcoming concert called A Tapestry of Music for the Holidays on Dec. 12 at 7 p.m., which will be inclusionary of Christmas, Hanukkah and Kwanzaa.
The performing arts department will also be holding auditions this Nov. 16-18 for the spring musical Mean Girls.
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