By: Aggie Rieger
The audience of the main auditorium was not completely filled for the Junior/Senior District Choir Festival, but the risers sure were. For the second half of the concert, every member of every a Capella choir in the district stood on seven rows of risers to sing together. Before, all members of the Chamber choirs sang.
“[The festival] sees all of us in the district as part of a big picture than just one high school,” said North Kansas City Choral Director Michael Shirley.
The students left their school colors behind to be part of the enormous choir, rehearsing all day at Oak Park and the evening before.
“[At rehearsal] you’re all wearing jeans and tee shirts, you could be talking to someone from Winnetonka or Northtowne and you don’t even know,” said junior Jacob Sullivan, a member of both chamber and a Capella choirs at Oak Park.
The district comes together every year for the event, rotating hosting high schools. This year, Oak Park had the honor of hosting. The clinician, renowned Bill Grace, used to teach at the school for 24 years, 18 years ago.
“[Being here] meant a lot, it’s like coming home,” said Grace.
Janice Popejoi, the Choral Director of Winnetonka High School was once one of Grace’s many students.
“It became very apparent in rehearsals to them [students] why he inspired me to become a teacher,” Popejoi said, “Everyone should have the opportunity to sing with him.”
Popejoi believed that it was a “huge honor and privilege” for the students to work under his direction. Grace described his directing style as “passionate”, and the students loved him for it.
“He’s like, the best director,” said sophomore Mariah Pride, member of the Chamber and a Capella choir at Staley.
Oak Park Students agreed.
“It’s like working on something with your grandfather,” said senior Stephanie Mora, a member of both choirs at Oak Park.
Oak Park sophomore Marvin Byas, also a member of both choirs, particularly enjoyed Grace’s passion.
“[His directing is] fantastic. He gives so much emotion, he just gives us so much to work with,” Byas said.
Before rehearsing all together at Oak Park and with Grace, choirs learned the music at their schools in preparation. Most schools began rehearsing after Winter Break, but one school did not have that privilege; Staley.
“We were unsure if we were going to do it because we’re actually preparing for [a trip to] Norway right now, but I’m glad we did. It’s a wonderful experience,” said sophomore Trent Hosick of Staley’s a Capella choir.
According to Staley sophomore Sydney Holland, member of both choirs, the Staley choir received their music late because of their director’s decision not to hand out the music.
“Because everyone else [at rehearsal] was so prepared it was a lot easier to pick up on it. we sight read on Monday and basically got in there and picked it up,” Holland said.
Still, the experience was phenomenal.
“I’d give it a ten out of ten,” said sophomore Staley a Capella member Bill Chandler.
Another set back, this one affecting the entire district, were the snow days.
“We just had to work harder to overcome seven days of no school, every rehearsal counts,” Shirley said.
In response to the snow days and therefore lost time, adjustments were made.
“We cut one number from each school because of the snow and we shouldn’t have done that. The choirs were good enough to do another song each,” Grace said.
The choirs represented the best singers from each school, as a Capella and Chamber choirs are the top audition based choirs. According to Hosick, the Chamber choirs are the “elite group.” At Oak Park, Oak Street is the Chamber choir.
“All of [the choirs] are developed well and I’m pretty excited to see what they do,” said Winnetonka parent Brenda Frost.
The concert was short, lasting roughly 30 minutes, but was a fantastic experience for students and spectators alike. First Chamber choirs sang together, then members of a Capella choirs joined them onstage. Even after the last song listed in the program had been sung, the concert was not over. The enormous choir packed onto the Oak Park stage, the best of the best, received an encore; something they were prepared for.
“With no apologies, this is not a piece of art,” Grace said to the audience before the encore, “It’s also a bit out of season.”
All together, the top choirs of the district sang a humorous rendition of “Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer.”
“I really enjoyed it. It’s always nice to end on a positive piece, it leaves people walking away smiling,” Sullivan said.
And the audience did.