All-State Chorus and Orchestra Ensemble hits a high note with teachers

Nov, 30-2009 1:40 pm

By RACHEL WATSON

ATLANTIC CITY – Lindsay Dever, JeongAh Lee and Nicholas Sanza of Mainland Regional High School performed in the All-State Chorus and Orchestra Ensemble at the Atlantic City Convention Center Friday, Nov. 6 with some of the best high school musicians in New Jersey.

The performance, which included a variety of classical, contemporary and international songs, was a free concert for attendees at the New Jersey Education Association teachers convention that weekend.  

According to Sanza, who was in All-State Chorus for the past two years, the choir gets better every year.  

“Everyone is on the same level of professionalism at All-State,” he said.  “It’s a great feeling to know that everyone there cares about music just as much as you do.”  

Lee, also in All-State Chorus for the past two years, said the experience was a blast.

“You just go up to random people in the choir and start talking,” she said.  “When you’re done, you’re best friends because you share the same passion.”  

Up until show night, all the choir and orchestra members were drilled on perfecting their songs.  

“We had an hour dinner break all day,” Dever said.

From 8 a.m. to 10 p.m., the students practiced their pieces, which by the end of the day “turned into masterpieces,” said Lee.

By the time the performance came, the chorus and the orchestra were a well-oiled machine. Still, it seemed to baffled audience members how all the voices and instruments could come together into one sound, all controlled by the conductors – Tom Voorhis for the choir and Sandra Dackow for the orchestra.

The show started with the choir singing the national anthem, followed by an introduction by choir manager Joe Cantaffa.  The rest of the first act included “A Choral Fanfare,” “Laudate Pueri,” “Ave Maria” and “Veniki (Russian Fold Song).”

After their introduction, members of the orchestra performed “Carnival Overture” and “El Salon Mexico.” The choir sang “Sensemayà,” “For the Sake of the Children,” Twa Tanbou,” “Stars I Shall Find,” and “Wade in the Water,” before the orchestra played “Capriccio Italien.”  The end of the night was marked with a combined choral and orchestral performance of “Gloria,” composed by Randal Bass.

Dever, Lee and Sanza are all members of Mainland’s TRI-M Music Honor Society.



Rachel Watson is a junior at Mainland Regional High School.