More than 500 students participated in the musical extravaganza on Nov. 28
![[Audience members join students in a finale of songs to conclude the Kaleidoscope Concert featuring all music and choir students at Batavia High School Nov. 28 in Batavia Fine Arts Center].
BATAVIA- It's the biggest performance of the year for Batavia High School's music department, and while the Kaleidoscope Concert always is a sell-out, tickets were gone in just a few days this year. The concert was held on Nov. 28 at the Batavia Fine Arts Centre.](db54900d-71b2-4fcc-b83e-745221cfaa84/image-pv_web.jpg)
[Audience members join students in a finale of songs to conclude the Kaleidoscope Concert featuring all music and choir students at Batavia High School Nov. 28 in Batavia Fine Arts Center].
BATAVIA- It's the biggest performance of the year for Batavia High School's music department, and while the Kaleidoscope Concert always is a sell-out, tickets were gone in just a few days this year. The concert was held on Nov. 28 at the Batavia Fine Arts Centre.
[Band director Chris Owen and all performers take a bow after the finale of their Kaleidoscope Concert at Batavia High School Nov. 28 in Batavia Fine Arts Center].
The Kaleidoscope Concert brings more than 500 students from the school's bands, choirs and orchestras together for two performances on one evening at the end of November. The shows consist of 26 performances from small ensembles and groups, as well as from the school's four bands, six choirs and four orchestras.
[A combined group plays a finale in the Kaleidoscope Concert featuring all music and choir students at Batavia High School Nov. 28 in Batavia Fine Arts Center].
Parents are always given a few days to claim their two free tickets before the remaining tickets are offered to the general public. But when they became available to families earlier this month, they were gone within three days, said Chris Owen, band director and teacher at Batavia High School.
[Orchestra director Allison Lisa conducts in the Kaleidoscope Concert featuring all music and choir students at Batavia High School Nov. 28 in Batavia Fine Arts Center].
Owen said that usually tickets sell out in about a week, but this year was extra quick because of an increasing number of students who are involved with the concert.
[The Troubadour choir performs "Veni, Veni, Emmanuel" in the Kaleidoscope Concert featuring all music and choir students at Batavia High School Nov. 28 in Batavia Fine Arts Center].
He said that parents were sent an email on a Monday, and were given first priority to claim their tickets before they went on sale to the public on the following Wednesday.
"The number of students involved in our music departments is the largest it's been in years. We sent an email to parents and let them know this concert will sell out and that they had Monday and Tuesday to order online," he explained. "We figured two days would be enough time. This is a very big program, and there are only a certain number of seats in the [Batavia Fine Arts Centre]. This is a unique format that makes the concert special."
[Choir director Peter Barsch conducts Varsity Choir in a song "Twelve Days After Christmas" in the Kaleidoscope Concert featuring all music and choir students at Batavia High School Nov. 28 in Batavia Fine Arts Center].
The shows consist of a medley of holiday music performed by the various groups around the auditorium with no applause or breaks in between selections. Owen said that it's "unlike" any concert he's ever seen.
"It's pretty unbelievable," he said. "These groups are talented and hard-working. It's powerful and you can see the spectacle of the quality of music in Batavia."
Cellists perform in the Kaleidoscope Concert featuring all music and choir students at Batavia High School Nov. 28 in Batavia Fine Arts Center.
Choir director Peter Barsch shushes performers in the Mixed Chorale as they file on to wait for their performance in the Kaleidoscope Concert featuring all music and choir students at Batavia High School Nov. 28 in Batavia Fine Arts Center.
[Performers rush to take the stage for a performance in the Kaleidoscope Concert featuring all music and choir students at Batavia High School Nov. 28 in Batavia Fine Arts Center].