2018 PH Interdistrict Choral Festival: A night of music, smiles, and unity
By Hanna Kimball and Amber Leung
The combined choirs singing “Raise Your Voice” as the closing number. Photo by Ryan Dore.
The Pascack Hills auditorium filled with songs, smiles, and students on Thursday March 22 at the annual Interdistrict Choral Festival. The night included performances from the Montvale and Woodcliff Lake Choirs as well as the three choirs from Hills – Chamber, Concert, and A Capella.
The choirs combined for the opening number, “Lift Every Voice,” as a tribute to a night of song and melody.
The Woodcliff Choir followed with their performances of “Amani,” “A Song Sang Once,” and “Waving Through a Window.” They were led by Ms. Baker, the new choral teacher at Woodcliff Middle School.
The Montvale Choir, led by Mr. Quaranto, the choir teacher at Fieldstone Middle School, followed with their performances of “I Will Sing,” “Monday, Monday,” and “Festival Sanctus.”
Next was the Hills Chamber Choir, led by Mrs. Elkin. They performed “Ave Verum,” “Kalinka,” “There is a Pleasure,” and “Nothin’ Gonna Stumble My Feet.”
Chamber Choir student Gianna Lucido says, “I love participating in the Choral Festival – It’s a great way to see the future of Pascack Hills choir.”
The A Cappella Choir followed with their performance of “Waiting on the World to Change” by John Mayer. This choir self-directed their number, the only choir to do so out of the five.
The Concert Choir was last (but certainly not least!) and performed “This Little Light of Mine” and “Raise Your Voice.”
To end the night, the combined choirs sang “Reaching For the Stars,” a number that was filled with passion and encompassed the true spirit of music.
“The Inter-Festival Festival is a well-established tradition of inviting the Middle Schools choirs to perform along with the PH Choirs (Chamber, Concert, A Cappella). We always sing 2 combined numbers together, and each group brings a few songs of their own to the program,” says Hills choir director, Margarita Elkin. “It is a great way to collaborate with the Middle schools’ Choral directors, and introduce PH Choral program to the Middle schools’ kids. We hope to continue wonderful choral music celebration in the future!”
The PH Inter district Choral Festival is a tradition that will continue to not only display the musical talents of current and future Cowboys, but will allow the Hills Music Programs to thrive for years to come!
Hanna is a senior, and this is her fourth and final year working for The Trailblazer. An editor-in-chief last year, Hanna has worked through the ranks to become Managing Editor, and has taught a few on her way up. Although she’s sad to see it go, she’s ready to work hard this year.
Editor-In-Chief Amber is a senior and is working on her final year on The Trailblazer. She's ready to work with, train, and mentor underclassmen to one day take her job! Although she is sad to see it go, she's excited for the rest of the 2018-2019 season and making it the best yet.
