The women’s vocal ensemble, which started at the beginning of this year, is a tight-knit group of young women who share a general love of music and singing. There are currently 13 members who usually meet during E1 on exploration Fridays and, when needed, during tutorials.
This format is a change from previous years, where choir was taken as a physical class that met during the week, rather than an extracurricular. However, students who participate in the vocal ensemble do get half an art credit.
They have already had three thrilling performances this year. At the All School Music Concert back in October, they performed two pieces, “For Good” and “Defying Gravity” by Stephen Schwartz from the popular Broadway musical “Wicked.” These were two challenging pieces for the ensemble’s first performance.
“My favorite experience was our first performance. It was really fun,” says Ava Berry, a sophomore and new member of the women's vocal ensemble.
At a winter concert hosted before Thanksgiving, they performed “Carol of the Bells” by M. Leontovich and “Ad Astra” by Jacob Narverud, and were joined by the middle school choir. The talented freshman James Kempler did the accompaniment for “Ad Astra” during the concert.
“He did an awesome job,” says Dr. Fresolone, the music director of TGS. The students in the vocal ensemble wholeheartedly agree.
Part of the beauty of the winter concert lay in the fact that the ensemble performed with the middle school choir, which helped combine voices and create a different sound.
Eva Healy, a member of the middle school choir explains that she joined choir “to improve [her] singing skills and have fun.”
“I really like singing and doing concerts.” says Avi Salmon, a member of the middle school choir.
Most recently, the ensemble had a concert during morning meeting on January 13th, where they performed “There Will Come Soft Rains.” The piece was originally a poem by Sara Teasdale, but was adapted into a choral piece with piano and oboe accompaniment by Kevin A. Memly. They performed it for Poetry Out Loud month.
“I didn't think the piece would be quite as difficult as it is,” explains Dr. Fresolone. The ensemble spent weeks rehearsing the piece, and the culmination showed the hard work. The performance was delivered with heartfelt emotion, which deeply resonated with the audience.
Beth Cain claims, “The words, the music, and the accompaniment were the perfect marriage for this particular poem. The blending of the voices was quite emotional. The oboe set the exact emotional tone for a poem about World World One.”
Sheela Gowrisankaran, a senior at TGS, accompanied the piece with melodic oboe lines.
Tricina ____ plays piano and does the accompaniment for the ensemble. As a whole, Dr. Fresolone “would like to utilize students more for the accompanying,” given that it has proven successful in the past two perfomances. It could also be a way to get more musicians involved.
Last year, there was a similar opportunity for students in choir to go to New York and sing at Carnegie hall with other choirs from around town. This was clearly a favorite experience amongst the group.
Kira McNeill explains, “I’ve always really liked singing and all of my friends like singing, so it's really cool that I get to do this with them. Every E1 meeting is really fun and interesting.” Karen Jie and Lucia Iurino agree.
“I want us to meet more. I’d like for it to be a class,” says Dr. Fresolone. Becoming a class means more pieces, more parts, and more concerts. If the vocal ensemble had only five more members they would be able to attend the biggest choral festival in the state.
“Singing is something that a lot of people are afraid of” explains Dr. Fresolone. “I do want anybody who has ever wanted to sing in a group like this.” It is an experience worth trying.
Dr. Fresolone has also started a men’s ensemble. When Dr. Fresolone was in high school his school choir had 70 men, but today there are only 5 at TGS. He hopes to find more interested young men in the future.
Vocal ensemble is a great way to make friends and be part of a larger musical community. Anyone is welcome to join at any time. There are great people who are always willing to help. All you have to do is give it a shot, no worries if it’s not for you. They welcome not only vocalists but also musicians interested in playing alongside them. There is nowhere else you can inflict so much joy and feel so much passion for what you are doing. It is here in music that we thrive.
Written by Juliet Herrick, staff reporter