Behind the Scenes of the GHS Pops Concert with Luke Rosenberg Choral Music Director

By Julia Trotman, GHS class of 2026

The Greenwich High School Choral Department held its annual Pops Concert on May 27 in the school’s performing arts center. The event featured upbeat popular music featuring all four GHS choirs, with guest performances by the GHS Modern Band.

GHS choir director, Luke Rosenberg, who came to GHS from Westport’s Staples High School in 2023, has 16 years of experience as a high school choral director.

“I’ve know this is what I wanted to do since I was about 18, and I’m very fortunate to be able to do that,” he said. “I know a lot of people that I went to college with that wanted to be music teachers who either couldn’t find a job, or couldn’t find a job at the level they wanted to teach.”

Mr. Rosenberg said the Pops Concert was a longtime in the making because students selected all the repertoires back in January.

After listening to the song submissions, and each student participating in a ranked voting process, the final repertoire was determined, and ordered. Each choir then spent seven weeks rehearsing for this performance.

Wednesday’s concert was significant for many reasons, one of the most notable being the first time collaboration with the Modern Band program at Greenwich High School.

According to Rosenberg, the idea was for student musicians from Modern Band not only to back up the choirs with their instruments, but also perform at the Pops Concert.  The collaboration with the Modern Band created a more student-run, cohesive concert, and an opportunity for students from different areas of the music programs to showcase their talents together.

“The Modern Band has really taken off. It’s huge,” Rosenberg said. “Barbara Freedman and Jason Polise have truly done an amazing job putting this all together.”

Additionally, the Pops Concert featured an original composition, “Friend of Mine,” written by junior, Matthew Smiles. Sung by the Chamber Chorus, this was one of the most unique performances of the evening.

With preparation beginning in early winter, Rosenberg said he worked closely with Matthew to develop the song into an eloquent piece performed Wednesday Matthew and his peers.

Sharing drafts back and forth helped refine many elements in the song, such as vocal range, dynamics, and overall performance quality.

According to Rosenberg, working with a young composer was one of his favorite parts of preparing for this concert.

“Even up until today we were actually changing things a little bit, and I love that process. It’s really fun to work with a young composer to talk about what works in terms of range, and dynamics, what things we can actually do with the voice versus things that maybe would work better if it was an instrumental thing. That was a really fun project to work on.”

On Wednesday, Concert Choir, the entry-level choir that introduces students to chorus at a high school level, sang “Viva La Vida” by Coldplay, “Pompeii” by Bastille, and “California Dreamin’” by The Mamas & the Papas.

The Witchmen, the lower-voice ensemble, sang “Put Your Head on My Shoulder” by Paul Anka, “Can’t Take My Eyes Off of You” by Frankie Valli, and “I’m Still Standing” by Elton John.

Next, was a performance from a Modern Band, “9 to 5” singing, “Wildflower” by Billie Eilish & FINNEAS, and “Poolhouse” by the Backseat Lovers. This band included three vocalists, two bass players, a guitarist, and a drummer.

The Madrigals, the upper-voice ensemble, sang “Skyfall” by Adele, “I See the Light” by Alan Menkin, and “Safe & Sound” by Taylor Swift.

The Chamber Singers, the most advanced choir in the program, sang “Can’t Help Falling in Love” by Elvis, “Misty” by Erroll Garner, “Friend of Mine,” the original composition by Matthew Smiles, and “Some Nights” by Fun.

The evening also included “Something is Holding Me Here,” by Patrick Taylor, sung by all the senior students.

Lastly, all the choirs combined to sing “Medley from ‘Les Misérables’” by Claude-Michel Schönberg.