The Caroliers perform two to three times a week in Dec. 1, sometimes they perform twice a night. The Caroliers’ first performance was on Dec. 1. They performed at the Petran House for the Art Center and then later that night at the Mayo Clinic for the tree lighting for Hospice. “We all were standing around the pole,” said Ashley Holl, senior and soprano in Caroliers “There were strings of lights everywhere. Someone said ‘Turn the lights on.’ All the lights turned on. It was a very powerful moment for all the people there to remember the people in their lives that they have lost.” “My favorite thing about Caroliers is definitely the bonnets we have to wear,” said Rika Boorsma, junior and alto singer in Caroliers. Boorsma enjoys singing “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen.” At the beginning they sing in unison so she gets to sing higher than usual. “It’s a nice change from the alto notes,” Boorsma said. Boorsma loves being in Caroliers. “Christmas carols are a ton of fun and it’s a super small group so it’s more of a challenge,” Boorsma said. “Since it’s my senior year, I thought ‘Why not try to be in everything?’ I just wish I would have done Caroliers last year,” Holl said. “It’s fun to wear the costume and see how happy people get watching us sing.” Caleb Troe, junior and tenor singer in Caroliers, started singing in ninth grade. Troe joined choir because his sister, Emily Troe, was in it. “My sister is really good at singing. She influenced me to want to sing,” Troe said. Troe’s favorite carol is “Holly Jolly Christmas.” “It just sounds super cool,” said Troe. “It’s a very independent group. They come one day and get music and the next time I see them, they are ready to sing. I don’t constantly have to be pounding on keys,” said Choral Director, Diane Heaney. “The students are expected to be independent, so I don’t have to work very hard with them, which is nice.” “‘Holly Jolly Christmas’ is my favorite song because the basses don’t sing a lot of words. We just do the background music,” said Travis Nemec, freshman and bass singer in Caroliers. Nemec is the youngest member of Caroliers. Nemec joined Caroliers because he thought it would be fun to do, and it’s something different. “I try to do a lot of choir stuff,” Nemec said. Nemec started singing when he was in about 3rd grade. “My great-grandma was a music fanatic so I decided to give it a try. It’s gotten me this far,” Nemec said. “It’s pretty fun. There’s a lot of stuff I like about Caroliers. It’s fun to sing a capella because everyone has to know their own part.”