About FHS Choirs

The Forest High School Choral program is entering it's 11th year, after a 20-year absence of choir, and has steadily grown into a quality program that consistently receives superior ratings at District and State adjudication and is well respected within our local and choral community.  We are excited to have your student interested in being part of our choir family, and encourage you to contact the director with any further questions.

Choirs:

Chorale (Beginning Choir):

All students with no previous Choral experience are placed in Beginning Choir, where they will be introduced to the technique, camaraderie, and repertoire of choral singing. Sight-singing and musicianship skills are taught, and no previous choral experience is necessary. This choir meets during the school day, and performs in all mandatory on-campus concerts (Fall, Winter, Spring) and may travel to and perform at MPA (Music Performance Assessment) for adjudication. Occasional after-school practices are called before performances and during MPA season, but they are minimal.

Treble Choir (Intermediate):

This choir is for treble singers who have already completed beginning choir, or any first-year treble singers with prior verifiable choral experience. Previous experience/sight-singing and musicianship skills are necessary. This choir performs in all mandatory on-campus concerts (Fall, Winter, Spring) and will travel to MPA, as well as some off-campus performances to potentially include Candlelight at Epcot. This is an auditioned group that meets during the school day. After-School practices are called before performances and during MPA season, and extra practices may be called with notice. This group has qualified to advance to State the last several years and we look forward to continued growth and success.

Concert Choir:

This choir is the most advanced large ensemble at Forest High School, with experienced soprano, alto, tenor, and bass singers by audition only.  This choir performs in all mandatory on-campus concerts, and will travel to honor-choir performances, MPA, and all community performances. This group meets during the school day, with after-school practices being called before performances, during MPA season, and as needed with notice. All tenors and basses in this group are required to participate in Men's Ensemble practices on Tuesday from 3-4:30pm*, and all singers will be required to attend after school practices as needed. This group has qualified to advance to State the last several years and we look forward to continued growth and success.

Musical Theatre:

This class/ensemble is the bridge between the FHS Choral Department and the FHS Drama Department. This is an auditioned class that meets during the school day, and performs at our District and State Thespian Festival, the FHS Spring Concert, an Outreach Tour, and a Spring One-Act Musical. Our class is the only Musical Theatre class in Marion County and we have been recognized with many Superior rated performances, as well as Critics Choice Large Group Musical, and Honorable Mention Large Group Musical at District Thespian festivals, as well as Critic's Choice and Honorable Mention in the Duet Musical Category several times.  Students in this class are required to join the Thespian organization*. Students must have completed a year of choir or be taking choir concurrently to be eligible to participate in Musical Theatre as of the 2024-2025 school year.

 

Ensembles:

Fortissimen:

This is an after-school group that meets Tuesday afternoons from 3-4:30pm*, and is open to any tenor-bass singer interested in performing, but is mandatory for all Concert Choir tenors and basses.  In this group we work exclusively on TB repertoire, and perform in all on-campus and some off-campus concerts, as well as Solo and Ensemble Festival. This is a Superior rated ensemble, and we look forward to continued growth.

Canto Cats:

This group is an auditioned select vocal-jazz ensemble that is the most versatile traveling group in the FHS Ensembles. This group is the ambassador for the FHS choral program and performs in all concerts, community performances to include the 9/11 tribute, Veteran's Day, School Tours, on-campus Christmas caroling, Light-Up Ocala, Solo and Ensemble festival, and various other performances as requested. Membership in Treble or Concert Choir is mandatory for Canto Cats members. This is a superior-rated ensemble, and we look forward to continued growth and travel opportunities.  Canto Class is a 7th-period class with required attendance after school hours and meets on Wednesdays.

Select Treble

This group is a select Treble Choir open to all interested treble singers that meets every Thursday after school from 3-4:45pm*. This group will sing advanced High-School and Collegiate level literature in all FHS Choir performances as well as at Solo and Ensemble Festival.

Jessica Mongerio, Director

Jessica Mongerio is a Marion County Public Schools graduate, and is in her eleventh year with the choral program at Forest High School after a 20-year absence of choir at FHS. A frequent performer, Ms. Mongerio has performed in the professional choirs Voci Del Coure and the Festival Singers of Florida in addition to many theatres, cabaret groups, church choirs, fringe festivals, and many other private venues and locations around Central Florida. An MCPS graduate, Ms. Mongerio is thrilled to be teaching and promoting Choral Music at Forest and in Marion County, and in her first year at FHS she founded the All-County Choral event for Middle and High School students which occurs annually in March. The choirs at Forest High School continually receive superior ratings at District and State Festivals. Her undergraduate and graduate studies in music were at the University of Central Florida, and she is an active member of NAfME, FVA, and ACDA, and currently sits as the Florida ACDA 10-12 Honor Choir Co-Chair. She also enjoyed almost a decade as a private voice instructor and musical-theatre director for the Performing Arts Conservatory of Ocala until it's closure Summer 2020.