By Joanna Ford, Contributing Writer
Photo provided by Christina Rickenbach
The Susquehanna University Choir had the opportunity to showcase seven pieces in Boston, Massachusetts the weekend of Feb. 10-12. They were selected to participate in this event after sending in performance recordings from the past three years to the American Choral Directors Association. While both college-level and high school institutions from across the east coast participated in this event, Susquehanna University was the only college from Pennsylvania that had the opportunity to perform in this selective conference this year.
Led by Director of Choral Activities Dr. Amy Voorhees, they performed twice on Saturday, Feb. 12 in downtown Boston at the beautiful Saint Cecilia Parish. While they performed a total of seven pieces at this conference, highlights included Alleluia by Elaine Hagenberg, a beautifully traditional piece inspired by the words of St. Augustine; Christi Mutter, an emotionally moving, intense piece regarding the Christian Bible’s depiction of the death of Jesus from the point of view of his mother by Z. Randell Stroope; and a faster-paced piece entitled Pal-So-Seong by Hyo-Won Woo. Soloists throughout all seven pieces included alto Christina Rickenbach, tenor Sylvia Stanell, and bass Jack Sullivan. Sophomore Rebecca Negro also went on the trip.
“It was such a good experience, especially in that space…the acoustics were just crazy, and you could hear us from the back…it was such a beautiful thing. I really enjoyed performing in that space and with the people in the choir,” said Negro.
Negro also described the remainder of the weekend and the time that the choir spent exploring downtown Boston. When they weren’t performing, they had time to visit popular tourist spots and explore the city. While this included the aquarium and tiny diner in the corner of Boston, a particularly interesting trip for Negro was to the Boston Museum of Fine Arts.
While dining at the Cheesecake Factory, a waiter discovered they were part of a choir and said that he would love to hear them sing, resulting in an impromptu performance by members of the choir.
“The opportunity to perform at ACDA is rare, so being a part of such a talented group led by the most determined and caring director was an experience that words cannot express. The performance itself was nothing like I have ever experienced in my years of singing. The performance not only had an everlasting effect on us as individuals but the audience as well. We were there to share our hard work and love for music with others and I think we did just that,” said junior Liam Nyce.
The choir’s time spent performing in Boston will, without a doubt, have an impact on everyone involved for years into the future.
