Teen Singers Join Voices at Choral Fest
The Westmont Fall Choral Festival, combining the voices of more than 330 students from 10 area high schools, is Friday, Nov. 7, at 4:45 p.m. in First United Methodist Church, 305 E. Anapamu St., and 7 p.m. in First Presbyterian Church, 21 E. Constance Ave. Half of the choirs will perform at 4:45 p.m. and the remaining half will perform prior to the Westmont ensembles at 7 p.m. Both performances are free and open to the public, although seating is limited. For more information, please call (805) 565-6040.
The afternoon concert features the Westmont Men’s Choral, Women’s Choral and New Sounds. It will include Heritage Christian School’s Resonate Chamber Singers, Redlands Adventist Academy’s Kantorei, Ernest Righetti High School’s Madrigals, Cate School’s Camerata, Providence Christian School’s Chorale and Highland High School’s Chamber Choir.
The evening concert will include performances by the Westmont Chamber Singers, Heritage Christian School’s Grace Notes Women’s Ensemble, Cathedral City High School’s Lions’ Pride Chamber Singers, Providence Christian School’s Chamber Singers, San Marcos High School’s Madcappella Choir, Arlington High School’s Chamber Singers, Buena Park’s Chamber Choir and the Westmont College Choir.
The program will conclude with everyone performing a mass choral piece, “Sing Unto God,” from Handel’s oratorio “Judas Maccabaeus.”
Before performing, the students will attend workshops with Westmont professors Grey Brothers, Steve Hodson and Michael Shasberger, Adams professor of music and worship, and adjunct instructors Robert Rockabrand and Joanna Wasserman.
This year’s guest clinician is Gary Unruh, professor emeritus of California State University Fresno, where he directed choral activities from 1984 to 1998 before retiring. In February, Unruh, who earned a Doctor of Musical Arts at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, served as program chair for the 2014 American Choral Directors Association Western Division Conference in Santa Barbara.