<body><div><figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=15D6LH_1GnRJVOS00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=15D6LH_1GnRJVOS00" width="1501" height="2001" ></figure>On October 14, Shaler Area Choir Students participated in the 4th Annual Allegheny County Chorus Festival at Gateway High School. Seventeen students from the Honors Chamber Choir and All-State Honors Women’s Chorus were chosen to participate in two choirs. The Treble Choir was a Soprano/Soprano/Alto (SSA) group while the Mixed Choir was a Soprano/Alto/Tenor/Bass (SATB) ensemble.The two ensembles were each directed by two directors. The directors also picked the pieces they conducted. They were instructed to pick a slower, ballad piece and an upbeat, exciting piece. On the surface, this festival seems like an annual choir event, but it was much more than that for Shaler Area.<h2>Treble (SSA) Chorus</h2>The Treble Chorus’ set featured four songs, split between two directors. The show started with pieces titled “Fire and Ice” by Emily Crocker and “The 59th Street Bridge Song (Feelin’ Groovy)”, both of which were directed by South Allegheny’s Cole Ramsey.“Fire and Ice” is a poem by Robert Frost written in the late 1800s. The song is about the end of the world elementally, with the recurring lyric, “Some say the world will end in fire”. In contrast with Crocker’s dark, extreme piece, there was the laid-back song entitled “The 59th Street Bridge Song (Feelin’ Groovy)”, arranged by Frank Metis.The song was originally written for group Simon and Garfunkel. The song was inspired by a walk taken across the 59th Street Bridge in London and the composer said he “felt groovy”, therefore giving the song its name. It was a relatively short song, rivaling the length of a normal choir warmup session.After Ramsey finished his two pieces, on came Shaler Area’s Mrs. Kristen Tepshich. The two pieces she chose were “Where the Light Begins” by Susan LaBarr and “Called to Rise” by Garrett Breeze.“Where the Light Begins” was originally written as a Christmas blessing poem by Jan Richardson. In her blog (adventdoor.com), she wrote, “May we lean into the light that begins in the deepest dark”.<figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=24qJDw_1GnRJVOS00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=24qJDw_1GnRJVOS00" width="1501" height="2001" ><figcaption>Shaler Area Choir director Ms Kristen Tepshich (Center) directs the Mixed Chorus.</figcaption></figure>When LaBarr went to arrange it, she had the idea of peace on her mind.“This text uses wonderfully universal words that relate to ideas of peace and hope,” LaBarr said in her “About the Work” blurb. “When we love, accept and care for all of our neighbors, we find that the light that the dark world so desperately needs begins in us.”“Called to Rise” was built to be a closing piece, and Tepshich saw that. This piece by Garrett Breeze is a powerful piece about being Called to Rise. He took the words from a poem by Emily Dickinson.She wrote her poem because she saw that people cowered away from their true potential, and she wanted to inspire people to defy that, and rise to their full potential.Tepshich chose two completely different songs, but they both had the positive aspect of being easier songs.“I wanted them to be accessible and provide the students who participated to have a successful experience,” Tepshich said. “With only a few short hours to rehearse an ensemble that has never sung before, to perform songs they have not rehearsed together is a huge challenge.”From going to three consistent award-winning choirs with singers she knows, to students from different choral environments from around the county, Tepshich only had one goal.“I knew what sound I wanted to hear, but knowing where we were starting from was completely unknown.” she said. “It was a very unique challenge to try and mold singers that I never worked with before and I hoped they were able to learn something new after walking away from the experience. I know that I did!”<h2>Mixed (SATB) Choir</h2>The SATB Mixed Choir rounded out the night a lot like how the Treble Chorus started it, with 4 different songs, each conducted by one of two directors. To kick off the set, they performed “Dies Irae” by Ryan Main and “The River” by Bryan Sable. Both these pieces were directed by East Allegheny Choir Director, Ms Amanda Rosco.<figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=36Kn9J_1GnRJVOS00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=36Kn9J_1GnRJVOS00" width="2001" height="1501" ><figcaption>East Allegheny’s Ms. Amanda Rosco (Center) directed Mixed Choir</figcaption></figure>“Dies Irae”, which translates to “Day of Wrath” in English, is a piece that has been composed numerous times, but this rendition was composed in 1984. While Guiseppie Verdi’s rendition of the common piece has a booming orchestra backing the vocalist, often being the forefront ahead of the vocalists, the boom of Main’s piece doesn’t come from any instrument, but it comes from the male voices.In Rosco’s directing of the piece, she explained that she wanted it to take the audience on a journey through the summoning of a Demon. This was emphasized when in the middle of the song, Tenors and Bass singers boomed with the title words, “Dies Irae”.The Latin piece was followed by a song that was composed closer to home. Travel 20 minutes north of Shaler Township and you’ll find Wexford, home of Bryan Sable, the composer of the next piece.“[The River] was a bit of a departure from my normal composing. I wanted to expand my writing into a more contemporary, musical theater feel,” Sable said. His song is a slow, somber plea for help with the recurring lyric “Who will speak for me?”, with a powerful call to the masses to let others help.“Ultimately to me, the piece is about being willing to put yourself on the line and speak for those who may need support at times, because we will all need people to stand for us at one time or another,” Sable said when asked about the underlying meaning.Alongside being a composer, Sable is also the director of the North Allegheny Intermediate High School Choir.“The energy and enthusiasm that [my students] bring to the classroom is contagious, and it keeps me feeling young,” he said, “That is really wild and humbling to me as a composer and teacher. It is so special being able to share a small part of myself with people making art together.”To round out the show, Shady Side Academy Choir Director Jeff Gross led the final stretch. He started with the ballad “A Red Red Rose” by James Mulholland.“I sang A Red, Red Rose at a choral festival when I was in high school, and I remember feeling awestruck at how beautiful the piece was,” Gross said when explaining his choice.The song is a slow love song that has some towering harmonies, especially near the apex of the piece. The song that was most popular among the singers was the powerful, concert concluding piece, “I Sing Because I’m Happy” arranged by Rollo Dilworth.Where “A Red Red Rose” was musically more difficult, but beautiful and flowy, Dilworth’s piece was upbeat, quickly learned and an all around happy song.“I knew I Sing Because I’m Happy would be a strong selection for the up-tempo. It is well written, comes together pretty quickly, and it is just so much fun to sing! That song truly showed me how much sound 180+ singers can make,” he said.</div></body>

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On October 14, Shaler Area Choir Students participated in the 4th Annual Allegheny County Chorus Festival at Gateway High School. Seventeen students from the Honors Chamber Choir and All-State Honors Women’s Chorus were chosen to participate in two choirs. The Treble Choir was a Soprano/Soprano/Alto (SSA) group while the Mixed Choir was a Soprano/Alto/Tenor/Bass (SATB) ensemble.

Shaler Area Choir Director in the spotlight at Allegheny County Chorus Festival

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On October 14, Shaler Area Choir Students participated in the 4th Annual Allegheny County Chorus Festival at Gateway High School. Seventeen students from t

Shaler Area Choir Director in the spotlight at Allegheny County Chorus Festival

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