The Paly choral program is one step closer to funding its upcoming summer tour to Brazil, after two successful concerts on Saturday, Feb. 11. Just in time for Valentine’s Day, the concerts at Palo Alto’s St. Mark’s Episcopal Church featured the Madrigals, Spectrum Singers, Viking Men’s Chorus, Heartbeats, Beginning and Concert choirs and numerous soloists. The choir sold over 300 tickets and also raised approximately $800 from raffle ticket sales, according to Paly choir director Michael Najar.

The setting was more intimate than typical choir concerts, as audience members sat at tables rather than in theater seats. Red and black tablecloths draped tables covered with bowls of red floating candles and Valentine’s Day sweets including strawberries, brownies and cookies. Soft pink mood lighting and twinkling strands of white lights added to the cozy environment as timeless love songs resonated throughout the room.

“We like doing the Valentine’s Day concert in a place where people can sit at tables and eat, making it more comfortable and relaxed than a [typical] concert setting,” said senior Sarah Ferguson, a member of Concert Choir, Madrigals and Heartbeats.

Between songs, choir members dressed up as famous couples and entered the room through an ivy-covered arbor called the “Tunnel of Love” to perform short skits.

From slow, romantic songs such as “Can you Feel the Love Tonight,” to grooving, upbeat songs like “Shout” with audience participation, the choir offered audience members a wide spectrum of music.

“I thought that “Shout” was high-energy and embodied the choir spirit,” said senior Chase Crewdson, who is a Concert Choir and Madrigals member.

From songs with razzle-dazzle attitudes to those with rich, full sounds, choir members and soloists showed off their breadth of talent.

This year, choir offered two performances of the student-written Valentine’s Day show instead of one, based on last year’s overwhelming turnout where choir had to turn people away, according to Ferguson. According to Najar, ticket sales for this show were also high, with approximately 175 people for the evening concert and 130 for the afternoon concert.

“I think this one was the most jam-packed,” said senior Teja Kondapalli, who has attended the Valentine’s Day concert for the past three years.

Though the program for the afternoon and evening concert was essentially the same, Najar and Crewdson both agree that the latter concert was much smoother and time-efficient.

“The afternoon [concert] was a bit shaky because we hadn’t run through it before, but the evening [concert] was just terrific,” Crewdson said.

Ticket sales and raffle proceeds helped raise funds for this summer’s trip to Brazil. The choir raffled off gift certificates, mugs decorated by choir students, four tickets to the upcoming musical “Love Songs in Traffic” and a half-an-hour private concert performed by any small choral group at the winner’s home.

Najar thanked the audience on Saturday evening, reminding them of what their donations had helped to fund.

“All of this lets us go to Brazil and supports this great program,” Najar said.

The Brazil trip, a little less than two weeks in length, is scheduled to visit Rio de Janeiro, Salvador da Bahia and Paraty, according to Crewdson. Currently, 27 students have signed up for the tour and five or six more are needed to fill it, Crewdson said.

In 2004, the Paly choir traveled to Europe, touring Barcelona, Pamplona, San Sebastian and Paris.

“I think that the only one [concert] that tromps this one is the concert at the La Madeline in Paris,” Crewdson said.

Either way, choir members agree that students have much to gain from performances.

“Concerts give us the opportunity to showcase what we learn, teach us to perform and give us more confidence,” said junior Savannah Hall, a Spectrum and Concert Choir member.

"It [the concert] is a learning experience because if you’re going into that profession you need to be comfortable on stage. Performing for an audience is not something you learn in the classroom," Ferguson said. "It’s also fun and raises money.”

Saturday’s concert was a success, according to senior Mary Hewlett, who is a Concert Choir, Madrigals and Heartbeats member as well as an assistant conductor.

“All the groups and all the soloists were amazing,” Hewlett said.

Crewdson agreed.

“It’s hard to differentiate good moments [of the concert] from superb moments,” he said.

The choir’s next performance, a candle-lit concert, is scheduled to take place on March 5 at the Stanford Chapel.