Top Row (L to R): Gabriel Racine, Brayden Hoffmann, Carlos Urgiles, Joseph Tighe, Nathan Freethy, Kristian Nistad
Bottom Row (L to R): Molly McGinnis, Genevieve Neenan, Nora Warner, Sara Kovacs, Ivy Yetter, Hunter Sasala
By: Nora Warner
Photo: Mrs. Neenan
Last week, 12 students from Wallenpaupack participated in the PMEA (Pennsylvania Music Educators Association) Region IV Choir Festival. To attend this event, students first qualified for the district level and were then placed in the top 10 students on their voice part at districts. The Region choir combines top students from PMEA Districts Eight and Nine. Our school had the accomplishment of sending the most students to this event. This year, Northwest Area Jr./Senior High School, Shickshinny, PA, hosted the event.
On Wednesday evening, students auditioned for a ranking. In blind auditions, students are asked to perform excerpts from their concert program and are scored based on categories including rhythm, pitch accuracy, tone, and interpretation. Students who placed in the top four in their section will advance to the PMEA All-State choir in April.
Congratulations to Wallenpaupack students Genevieve Neenan, Kristian Nistad, and Nora Warner, who earned All-State seats.
Additional congratulations to Genevieve, who was in first place in her section.
During two days of rehearsals, students worked on a challenging program with their conductor, Dr. Christopher Kiver, director of choral activities at Penn State University. Dr. Kiver brought so much energy to these rehearsals, making his love for creating and teaching music clear. Students learned new techniques thanks to Dr. Kiver’s attention to detail, including interpretation, tone quality, pronunciation, and breathing. Students prepared a diverse program of pieces across many languages and cultures. The concert program included:
Cantate Domino by Josu Elberdin
This piece features English, Basque, and Latin text and was written to convey the joy of singing praise.
Ubi Caritas by Paul Mealor
This Latin piece was written for the wedding of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, Prince William and Princess Cathrine.
Laudate Pueri by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, arr. Robert Shaw
This challenging Latin language piece features a fugue style of repeated melodies throughout the voice parts.
That Which Remains by Andrea Ramsey
This piece with text by Helen Keller provided students with the opportunity to explore text painting in music and connect their personal experiences to the piece.
Bayanihan by Arianna Abela
This Filipino piece depicts a community coming together to help a family move their entire house to a new location and serves as a celebration of culture and teamwork.
In addition to the pieces performed, students rehearsed three other songs but were unable to perform because of losing some rehearsal time due to the weather. Although they were not performed, they offered many learning opportunities and were fun to sing as a group.
In the next few weeks, Wallenpaupack will be represented at the Region Orchestra and Band festivals.
Participating in these festivals is not only an amazing accomplishment but an opportunity for students to learn and bring back talents and skills to our musical groups and school community. Congratulations to these students for their dedication to musical excellence and commitment to learning.
