The Camas High School (CHS) choir program saw two big things this December. One, CHS choir director Ethan Chessin became a finalist in the Grammy nomination for the 2025 Music Educator Award. Two, CHS choirs performed their winter choir concert—a culmination of months of hard work, musicians and dancers from within CHS and without and music from across the world.
Last year, the musical theme was on Jewish tradition—like klezmer music—ending with CHS choirs’ performance at the Museum of Jewish Heritage in New York City.
This year, the focus was on music from South Asia. Choir students not only had the opportunity to learn music from countries like India, Afghanistan and Tibet, but guest speakers gave lessons on the cultures as well. In one such opportunity, the composer of a song Select Vocal Ensemble (SVE) performed Zoom-called the class all the way from Australia—a 19 hour time difference.
“I want to bring the world to the school and the school to the world,” Chessin said.
Students got to try food, hear stories and learn dances from the other side of the world. CHS’s very own Aaja Nachle Indian Dancing Club (ANIDC) choreographed a dance for a SVE song, and performed alongside them at the winter choir concert.
“It was amazing how fast the choir was able to learn the steps and put together our part with their part,” ANIDC co-president, and CHS senior Shalaka Deshpande said. “It was very rewarding.”
Choir students also found the process of preparing for the concert, and the performance itself, fun and interesting.
“It was so exciting to see the Bharatanatyam and Tibetan dancers!” CHS junior Inka Byman said. “I thought this was our most fun concert yet because of the diverse music we got to listen to.”
Part of what made this concert unique were the musicians and dancers not affiliated with CHS that practiced and performed with the choirs. These included the Bharatanatyam dancers, the Northwest Tibetan Cultural Association dancers and the Carnatic musicians, who perform regularly all over the United States and India.
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“What I loved about the concert was the incredible sense of community celebration…I think everybody came away with a bigger and more beautiful sense of our own community,” Chessin said.
A large part of what made this concert, and all the others, a success, is the effort put in behind the scenes. Over his 14 years with the CHS choir program, Chessin has demonstrated an immense amount of love and care for the program, his students, and the community.
“I would like to thank Mr. Chessin for giving us the opportunity to showcase the Indian culture,” ANIDC co-president, and CHS senior Hrithi Sivalinki said.
This is part of why Chessin is now one of 10 finalists for the Grammy’s Music Educator Award.
Besides the winner announcement, the Camas community can look forward to the annual Evening on Broadway concert taking place this Friday at 7 p.m., as well as many more concerts by Chessin for years to come.