RHS choir students joined singers from other area schools for the annual Choralpalooza music festival, held at Ridge High School on Monday, Nov. 25.
Former Ridge choir director Barbara Retzko started the event 20 years ago, bringing together choirs from several New Jersey high schools for a collective workshop, where they received feedback and learned new skills from professional singers.
“It was an enjoyable experience, and I think it was really cool to get to meet new and exciting faces,” said RHS freshman participant Rebecca Ohlssen. “It was just a really great way to expand our knowledge of music.”
This year, the high school choirs worked with Dr. Wilson, the director of choral activities for the Department of Music at SUNY New Paltz, to improve their vocal skills and learn new ways to perform.
The choirs collaborated on a combined piece called “Seeking Light.” Randolph’s choir also sang two of the songs they had been rehearsing for their recent Disney World performance: “Silent Night” and “Joy to the World.”
“I learned about cooperation when sitting within a big group,” freshman Samantha Walker said. “It takes a lot more intricate thought, since you really need to think about how it will affect everyone.”
“The most memorable part of the trip was meeting new people from different schools and talking about things in common, like previous musicals and plays we’ve done,” senior Harsh Magdum said.
Each school performed two to three pieces during the event, providing singers with an opportunity to share their music and observe other choirs’ styles. Randolph’s choir contributed selections from their repertoire, which they have been rehearsing in class.
“Everyone sounded amazing, and the other students were super nice, so it felt comforting to be singing with everybody as a choir community,” senior Emma Basa said. “It sounded so beautiful and felt super fulfilling to be singing with so many people; the energy was so ecstatic.”
Choralpalooza served as a chance for RHS choir students to strengthen their singing skills and practice performing in front of students from various schools. This experience also helped the Randolph singers’ prepare for their recent performance at Disney World on Dec. 5-8.
