In October, the high school's top choir, Varsity Voices, had the opportunity to share the stage and sing with Rockford’s top choir and Vox GR, a professional choral group at Park Congregational Church. 

In August, Varsity Voices prepared two diverse pieces to perform, “Sure on this Shining Night” by Morten Lauridsen, which is a flowing contemporary song that is inspired by James Agee and his poem. Their second song was “Witness,” a traditional spiritual and eight part acappella arrangement by Jack Halloran. Varsity Voices learned how to work together with a new addition to their class, Robert Edwards, a newly hired accompaniment. Choir teacher Deborah André was absent for almost up to a week, which made the students work harder. It encouraged the group of singers to become a stronger choir and learn how to bounce off each other for help. 

In addition to getting ready for their concert, HHS and Rockford were invited to join Vox GR and sing two songs of their own, but also learn another piece of music called “Arirang,” a Korean style arrangement, to sing with them at the end of the concert. According to Northeast Asia Choral Resources, the song begins with flowing lyrics that end with Korean percussion like Buk, a Korean drum, and Ggoenggwari, a small gong. Varsity Voices dug a little deeper and discovered the meaning of this song, learning that Arirang means “beautiful beloved” and/or “my beloved one.” 

The official concert began on Saturday the 11th at 7:30 pm. Varsity Voices sang their first two songs, feeling the positive atmosphere of the audience. “It was wonderful to work and sing with amazing, talented students and professional voices on stage,” said Liza Brouwer, a senior in Varsity Voices. Vox GR performed several pieces of music that translated from Eastern Soundscapes, singing songs from China, Korea, Philippines, and more. 

Doctor Christopher Mason, the artistic director of Vox GR who works and directs the choral group at University of Minnesota Duluth, visited both schools to go through each of their music pieces and work on the grand finale song with everyone. He offered techniques on how to clean up certain sounds by asking to add more air and stylistically incorporate movements of body language to increase the intensity when singing.  

Taking Doctor Mason’s advice, Varsity Voices will remember what makes a polished piece of music and how showing emotion makes or breaks music. This opportunity to sing with a professional choral ensemble and fellow peers, gave the students cherishable memories of learning a brand new language, collaborating with specialized voices from soprano to bass, and building a community with people who love singing music.