SAN DIMAS/LA VERNE – Sleigh bells will be ringing on Christmas Eve for the Bonita High School Chamber Singers as they deck the halls for the 66th Annual L.A. County Holiday Celebration, to be held at The Music Center’s Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, a festive night that showcases the artistry, talent, and cultural traditions of nearly two dozen Southern California-based artists at the storied concert venue.

Bonita’s 32-member Chamber Singers will share the stage with a diverse cross-section of L.A. County’s finest performance acts, including singers, dancers, puppeteers, and brass bands. Each act will perform for five minutes during a live in-person show that will be broadcast live on PBS SoCal on Wednesday, Dec. 24 from 3 to 6 p.m. The Chamber Singers will perform during between 5 to 6 p.m.

“This is a tremendous honor for the Chamber Singers,” Bonita High choir director Ryan Yoder said. “We will be sharing the stage with a tapestry of the finest professional and semi-professional artists in L.A. and perform on live television, which we haven’t done before. It’s another amazing experience for our singers, and a reflection of the great Visual and Performing Arts (VAPA) programs we have at Bonita Unified.”

Bonita High School senior Ian Egge – a member of the Chamber Singers and Bonita Men’s Choir – has been selected to the Southern California Vocal Association (SCVA) Honor Choir for two consecutive years, and was chosen this year to be a member of the California Choral Directors Association (CCDA) All-State Honor Choir.

Unlike many of his peers, who began singing in elementary school as part of the District’s VAPA program, Egge, who is a Tenor 1, did not find his voice until his sophomore year in high school after taking a singing class. After hearing Egge sing, Yoder insisted the he stay in the choir program.

Egge’s experience in choir has already taken him to performances at New York’s Carnegie Hall, the state capitol in Sacramento for the California All-State Music Education Conference and, most recently, to Disneyland, to sing in its Candlelight Processional. The L.A. County Holiday Celebration brings new challenges, as the Chamber Singers adapt to the nuances of a live televised performance.

“I love being in the music program. Everyone is so supportive. My mom is my biggest fan and so excited for the show,” Egge said. “At our first rehearsal, I was really nervous because I had never been on television before. But when we sang, the production team was blown away by our performance and loved our energy. I can’t wait to do the show live.”

There to greet the Chamber Singers when they arrived at their rehearsal was Bonita High Class of 2012 graduate Marielle Shrock, who now serves as The Music Center’s Marketing Communications Manager. Shrock, a former Chamber Singer, leads the Holiday Celebration’s marketing campaign and said she was stunned to discover during a production meeting that her alma mater was scheduled to perform in the gala event.

“Singing in choir was life-changing for me. I am so proud to see that the Chamber Singers are getting this opportunity of a lifetime to perform at The Music Center,” Shrock said. “What I loved most about Chamber Singers is how close-knit we were. Creating those memories and bonding with my classmates is something I’ll never forget.”

Shrock attended Mount Saint Mary’s College and spent a year as a nursing student before deciding to pursue a career in marketing. After interning for the Hollywood Pantages Theater, iHeart Media, and Live Nation, Shrock spent a week as a temporary employee at The Music Center before being hired full time in 2017. Shrock said she feels her VAPA education has helped to propel her into a world where she works with extraordinarily talented artists daily.

Presented by The Music Center in partnership with PBS SoCal, the L.A. County Holiday Celebration is free to the public and will be livestreamed from 3 to 6 p.m. on the TV channel’s local broadcast outlets, on its website, and on the PBS SoCal app, with repeat airings scheduled throughout the week. Concertgoers interested in attending in person must reserve their free ticket at holidaycelebration.org.

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BUSD_BONITAMUSICCENTER: The Bonita High School Chamber Singers will perform at the 66th Annual L.A. County Holiday Celebration at The Music Center’s Dorothy Chandler Pavilion on Christmas Eve, sharing the stage with nearly two dozen Southern California acts at the storied L.A. concert venue. The holiday celebration will be broadcast live on PBS SoCal from 3 to 6 p.m.