Grand Oaks, The Woodlands choirs honor veterans at 10th anniversary concert
Students joined The Woodlands Men’s Chorus for a program that recognized military service and showed them where they can keep singing after graduation.
Tuesday, Nov. 10, 2026, at 6:30 p.m.
THE WOODLANDS, Texas — Grand Oaks and The Woodlands high school singers performed in their own choirs Tuesday evening before joining The Woodlands Men’s Chorus for “Battle Hymn of the Republic.” Cliff Rabon directed the combined choirs, with Paula Knight accompanying, to close the 10th anniversary veterans concert at The Woodlands Methodist Church.
The concert gave each student choir two pieces of its own and a chance to sing alongside a community chorus. Rabon said the event began about a decade ago to show high school singers where they could keep singing after graduation. The November gathering grew into a tribute to veterans.
Grand Oaks choir director J.R. Smith opened with “The Star-Spangled Banner.” The school’s Combined Tenor Bass Choir, accompanied by Kelli McCarthy, followed with two pieces that asked different things of its singers, moving from the remembrance of ‘For the Fallen’ to the rallying call of ‘Battle Cry of Freedom.’”Smith singled out the students’ confidence and the pride they took in their singing after a little more than a month of preparation.
“I really do hope that they will take with them that they can just continue singing once they leave school,” Smith said after the concert.
The Woodlands Varsity Tenor Bass Choir, accompanied by Kristy Cox, showed its range in two selections, pairing the traditional ‘Shenandoah,’ arranged by Michael John Trotta, with James R. Gillette’s ‘From the Hills Above Pearl Harbor. Choir director Patrick Newcomb praised how his students sang and was glad they had the chance to perform alongside their Grand Oaks peers. The tribute, he said, gave them an opportunity to “sing about something that’s bigger than themselves.”
“It’s fun to get them all up there together and sing,” Newcomb said.
The Woodlands Men’s Chorus accompanied by Paula Knight gave veterans a part in the performance. After singing “Let All Men Sing,” “Who Are the Brave?” and “Instrument of Peace,” the chorus invited veterans to stand as it sang their military service songs. That simple gesture let the audience recognize the people the concert was there to honor.
“Every year I’m thinking we can’t do any better, and every year it works out great,” Rabon said after the concert.
For the finale, the three choirs came together in Peter J. Wilhousky’s arrangement of “Battle Hymn of the Republic.” It was the evening’s only piece for all three groups and gave the students a chance to do what Rabon hoped they would keep doing after high school: sing alongside people from their community.
By The Woodlands Student Center Staff
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