On Sunday, Nov. 17, five members of the Pascack Hills Chamber Choir performed at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC) in Newark as a part of this year’s All-State Mixed Chorus. The members included Hills Juniors Caitlin Buckley, Colin Barry, Elijah Chen, Anderson Moss, and Ayan Swain.
Each year, some of the most talented high school musicians from across New Jersey come together to be members of the 100-piece orchestra and 350-voice chorus and perform at the revered Prudential Hall. These ensembles are selected through a strict audition process during the spring and continue practicing in the fall.
In preparation for their final performances, the All-State musicians attended a 3 day retreat to Atlantic City where they rehearsed and practiced from Nov. 6-8. During this time, the musicians polished their repertoire, learned from professional conductors, and got to connect with fellow musicians from across the state. Though practice sessions were long and demanding, by the end of their experience, the Hills students saw their hard work prevail.
“We sang a variety of genres in the mixed choir, which I really enjoyed. We had a few songs in different languages, even one in German,” says Buckley.
The choral repertoire for this performance featured “Kalinda” by Sydney Guillaurne, “Liebst du um Schönheit” by Clara Wieck Schumann, “Measure Me, Sky!” by Elaine Hagenberg, and “Domine Deus” by David Caldarella.
“This year I returned to All-State again and had even more fun than last year. I met more people from around the state and established lots of connections with my peers. While our conductor had lots of critiques at times, that’s what made us perform and sound better,” explains Chen.
The repertoire at All-State also included “A Silence Haunts Me” by Jake Runestad. A choral piece inspired by an 1802 letter from Ludwig van Beethoven to his brothers, the piece tells the story of Beethoven’s growing deafness. Though he despaired, Beethoven gradually grew into a state of hope and resilience. Performing Runestad’s tribute, the Mixed Chorus portrayed his journey in this piece, even creating a moment where members performed in silence, mouthing the words, to represent Beethoven’s loss of hearing.
“It was an emotional performance to play. It even left some audience and Chorus members in tears,” explains Buckley.
Buckley continues, “Overall, I loved my experience participating in the All-State Mixed Chorus. While it was a lot of hard work, we had so much fun, and it was incredible to be surrounded by so many talented musicians.”
Having left a mark on the Betty Johnson Stage at Prudential Hall, the Hills Chamber Choir members are only getting started, with many more performances to look forward to this year.
