Eight students from Hamburg Area High School attended the second annual Lebanon Valley College (LVC) High School Honors Choir Jan. 11 to 12.
Among the group were director Mrs. Sara Jackson, basses Brendan Yoder and Michael Dotterer, tenors Kyle Herbert and James Francisco, altos Amy Florian and Anna Heitmann and sopranos Marita Gattone and Sarah Gould. These students were selected by Mrs. Jackson for their singing and leadership abilities to represent Hamburg in the prestigious event.
With practices on both days leading up to a concert on Jan. 12, students from the area surrounding LVC performed four pieces: “Meditation on Amazing Grace,” a piece composed by the director of the LVC High School Honors Choir and LVC music director Dr. Matthew Erpelding; “Shut De Do,” a Caribbean-inspired piece; “Circa Mea,” a Latin song about love and passion, and “Remember,” a tragic love song about death and heartbreak.
Dr. Erpelding was proud of the students who participated, asserting that “teenagers are capable of great things.”
Anna Heitmann says she loved the trip to LVC and that she learned a lot about singing and breathing techniques from the director.
“If I could go again, I absolutely would,” she added.
Marita Gattone said her favorite part was Dr. Erpelding saying that he was an excellent director with plenty of tricks up his sleeve to make the choir as amazing as it could be.
In addition to the impact left on students, Mrs. Jackson also uses some of the warm-up techniques that were taught at LVC in the Hamburg chamber choir Aerial Boundaries.
LVC’s second High School Honors Choir was a huge hit among its participants, the directors and its audience. With talented students from across Pennsylvania making up this choir, it is no surprise that all who went enjoyed it.
