Southern Chorale Scores High at International Competition
STATESBORO, Ga. 鈥� Dec. 5, 2013 鈥� The 34 members of the Georgia Southern Chorale are celebrating a big victory after capturing top honors in their second international competition. Southern Chorale received a Gold Diploma 鈥� Level VI and first place in the Spirituals Division, where it also earned the highest score awarded in the inaugural Sing鈥檔鈥橨oy Louisville international choir competition in Louisville, Ky. The Chorale also won a Gold Diploma – Level V in the Mixed Choirs: Difficulty Level 1 category. Only a half point separated the Chorale from category winners Coro San Ben Benildo of the Philippines.
鈥淭wo days later, I am still blown away by our Georgia Southern students鈥� performance 鈥� earning the highest score given in the competition,鈥� said Shannon Jeffreys, D.A., director of choral activities. 鈥淚 am thrilled not only with the choir鈥檚 performances and victory but with how much we grew as musicians and as an ensemble. We made new international friends with fellow performers and with the jurors. 鈥�
Southern Chorale had been invited to perform along with local favorites the Lafayette High School Madrigal Singers and the University of Louisville Cardinal Singers on the festival鈥檚 Celebration Concert in the Kentucky Center for the Performing Arts. After hearing Chorale in a preliminary session with the judges, the singers were asked to serve as the demonstration choir for a clinic session 鈥淭he African American Spiritual Songs of Life and Death.鈥� Southern Chorale was also asked to perform Sakkijarven Polka, a favorite of Artistic Director Christian Ljunggren of Sweden, at the Awards Ceremony on Sunday afternoon.
Interkultur, the sponsor organization of Sing鈥檔鈥橨oy Louisville, is 鈥渄edicated to the goal of bringing people of all nations, cultures and ideologies together in peaceful competitions and songs.鈥�
Several students in Southern Chorale compared Sing鈥檔鈥橨oy with their participation in last summer鈥檚 Anton Bruckner Choir Competition, in Linz, Austria. 鈥淜nowing how things worked in the competition environment took a huge load of pressure off of us, and when it comes to things like this, any sort of relief is great,鈥� said junior journalism major William Peebles. 鈥淗owever, having a few months to learn repertoire is far more strenuous and tiresome when you compare it to having the entire year to prepare like we did for Europe. The fact that our scores were higher this year shows the dedication and talent levels are rising, and that’s very exciting for the program.鈥�
鈥淚 am extremely grateful for the opportunity to observe choirs and directors from around the world,鈥� said Kirstin Willard, a junior music education major. 鈥淚t was both a learning experience and a reminder of the passion that is so necessary to inspire our future careers.鈥�
On Sunday, Dec. 8, Southern Chorale will combine with University Singers, Women鈥檚 Chorale and the First United Methodist Chancel Choir to present 鈥淗ow Far is it to Bethlehem?鈥� The concert is at 3 p.m. with an encore performance at 7 p.m., at the Statesboro First United Methodist Church on South Main Street. Admission is free, but an offering will be taken to support Chorale鈥檚 future participation in international competition.