Moravian Academy Students Attend the 37th Annual Northampton County Chorus Festival

The Northampton County Chorus festival is a celebrated annual event that highlights the talents of young vocalists from across the region. Moravian Academy students joined peers from nine other schools for the 37th festival, which concluded with a performance at Easton Area High School this past Friday night. Selected by their directors to represent their schools, students participate in this event each January as a way to develop their skills, gain recognition for their dedication to their home vocal music programs, and prepare for future opportunities like the District 10 PMEA Chorus.

The students have the music in advance to prepare on their own and with their home directors. The festival itself is only a day and a half of intense preparation at the host school, followed by the concert on the evening of the second day! One of the unique aspects of this festival is that the repertoire is chosen and rehearsed by each director from the ten schools, which results in a program with tremendous diversity of style, period, and associated techniques. The students seem to really enjoy working with a variety of different directorial approaches and musical styles, and they appreciate the effort made by the directors to provide a broad spectrum of choral music for performance each year. 

They return each year renewed, refreshed, and excited about being leaders in their own school programs. They also make new friends each time they attend this festival, which is really cool. There is something about working together on a shared goal (with not quite enough time) that brings people who don't know one another together quickly. We have students who repeat this opportunity and wouldn't want to miss it - they are sometimes sad when they "graduate" to District Chorus because they won't be going to Counties anymore! 

This festival is unique, and each year it takes a step toward being even better than before, so that it really does stand alone as an experience worth the effort and energy it takes to prepare and attend!