Themed “Great American Road Trip,” choir’s Golden Review 2017 was kicked off Thursday Night at Newman University De Mattias Fine Arts Center.

Approximately 90 student members of Madrigals, Chanterelles, concert choir, and Carrolleers performed 22 classic songs representing their musical journey across 10 different states. The performance included hit songs such as “California Dreamin’” by The Mamas & the Papas, “Rocky Mountain High” by John Denver, and “Blue Suede Shoes” by Elvis.

Preparing for the show took months of preparation for the ensemble.

Senior Madrigal Sam Goebel said, “Getting the music and choreography to work together was hard especially for me because I suck at dancing. At first I wasn’t sure if it would come together but it did.”

Choir director Melissa Seiler also expressed satisfaction with Thursday’s show.

“It’s really hard to dance and sing at the same time. To add dancing on top of an amazing vocal performance is just awesome,” she said. “It just gets more and more fun for (the students) from here.”

Besides singing, dancing, and themed costumes, Golden Review featured comedic skits between numbers which tied the songs together into an entertaining plot. Junior Abby Leis’ character, for example, is a dramatic newlywed who has a meltdown over losing her purse at a roadstop.

Molley Carley, a junior member of concert choir, liked that most of the show’s songs were familiar to the audience.

“My favorite [song] was the ‘Beach Boys Blast’ because we really just got to have fun with it and we got to interact with the audience,” Carley said.

Junior Chrysa Elliott was one of the many students present in what was a large audience for a Thursday night.

She said, “This was my first year to see Golden Review and I loved it! I didn’t know what to expect but it was so fun!”