Every February, the Stoughton High School choir hosts its largest and most infamous concert of the year: the Pop’s Concert. The performance, attended by people from all over Stoughton, includes nearly 20 student soloist performances and close to 20 student soloist performances, along with music sung by the entire choir. This concert is used as a way for SHS choir students to express creativity and make their voices heard, as they choose their song and how they perform it. Here’s a sneak peek at this year’s soloists and, along with their preparation for the concert. You can attend the 2024 Pop’s concert on Feb. 12.

Cadi Jemilo
Singing “I See Red” by Everybody Loved An Outlaw
Why did you choose this song/does it have a meaning to you?
“It doesn’t have a specific meaning, but it’s a power song, and I like singing songs like that, and I wanted to go all out for senior year.”
Madeline Olsen:
Singing “Creep” by Post Modern Jukebox
How are you preparing for the concert?
“I’m preparing for the concert with the help of my voice teacher, [Natalie Norlin], at our weekly lessons. I’ve also been trying to get in as much time as I can with Mr. Casey to go over it.”
Jalyn Roe:
Singing “Blackbird” by The Beatles
Why did you choose this song/does it have a meaning to you?
“I chose this song because it’s fun to play on guitar. It’s a familiar song that lots of people will know, and I love birds. Blackbird is also one of the songs I really wanted to learn when I first started playing guitar about two years ago, and to be able to play it now for a crowd is a symbol of personal achievement for me.”
Michael Anschutz:
Singing “Love Her Madly” by The Doors
Why did you choose that song/does it have a meaning to you?
“I chose it partially because I love The Doors but mostly because it fits really well in my range, which is lower than a lot of popular music.”
Ella Loup:
Singing “Mercy” by Duffy
What’s your favorite past memory of Pop’s?
“Working with the band on the horn parts for Anja Royko’s “Proud Mary” in 2022 (which I played saxophone on). I love working with the band on horn parts for pops because it really feels like I’m making music.”
March Feiteira:
Landen Odegaard:
Annelise Dargel:
Singing “Who’s She” by Eloise
How are you preparing for the concert?
“Preparing for the concert for me consists of nothing too formal. Besides sound checks, I enjoy singing and playing guitar in my free time, and the song I selected is one I enjoy. So, I practice it a bunch with my fellow soloist and friend Lany.”
Cajsa Engstrom:
Kirsten Holm:
Singing “Cowboy Casanova” by Carrie Underwood
How are you preparing for the concert?
“I actually put the karaoke version of the song on my TV and then sit facing away so I can’t see the words, and I record myself so that when I watch the video back, I can see if I had all the words right and I can decide if I liked how it sounded or not.”
Nevaeh Smithson:
Singing “You Should Probably Leave” by Chris Stapleton
What’s your favorite past memory of Pop’s?
“Dropping the mic stand last year in front of everyone before I did my solo.”
Sophia Nortwen:
Singing “You’re So Vain” by Carly Simon
What are you doing to prepare for the concert?
“Right now, to prepare, I’ve just been singing it every free second I have and figuring out how I can sing it to make it sound more like me. I like changing little small-tone things to have it fit my style, and I love playing around with the music.”
Miles Heritsch:
Singing “Better Man” by Pearl Jam
What’s your favorite past memory of Pop’s?
“The opening song of my freshman year. All of the other choir concerts are very formal, so I didn’t really understand what the experience would be like until the curtain came up and I started actually performing Pop’s music for the first time. That definitely inspired me to try to get a solo at some point in my high school career. Plus, I was right next to the drums, so that definitely added some energy.”
Megan Gille:
Singing “Caroline” by Briston Maroney
Why did you choose that song/does it have meaning to you?
“This song always makes me think of my sister. And I just really like the song and [love] the energy of it.”
Autumn Bonti:
Singing “Feathered Indians” by Tyler Childers
Why did you choose that song/does it have meaning to you?
“I chose Feathered Indians because it’s a song I can have fun with and get less nervous performing. Country isn’t my #1 genre, but I take it less seriously.”
Anton Royko:
Singing “Wartime” by Talking Heads
What is your favorite past memory of Pop’s?
“[My favorite memory is] performing with Belinda [during last year’s Pop’s concert].”
Brandon Vaage:
Singing “Portrait of a Blank Slate” by Lovejoy
How are you preparing for the concert?
“Practicing my song with and without the lead singer so I can gain confidence and tweak my solo to be better by taking inspiration from the original.”