The Moores School of Music’s Concert Chorale went head to head against thousands of harmonizing choirs around the world in Magdeburg, Germany. Little did they know, they were on the way to ranking No. 3 worldwide.
What appeared as mere minutes of performance took effort, direction and passion.
“Many things go into achieving any goal. This effort was no different,” Professor and Director of UH’s Moores School of Music Betsy Cook Weber said.
Their journey began with Weber’s effort after selecting the “very best” singers to form the choir and picking a repertoire to sing.
“The repertoire selection is key,” Weber said. “It needs to fit the singers. It needs to pique the interest of judges who have, ‘heard it all,’ and it should elicit a strong, positive response from the audience.”
Weber emphasizes the importance of student’s motivation, and how it essentially drove them success.
“The fact that each singer returned with every note of that very difficult packet of music solidly learned is the real story here,” said Weber. “Our successes occurred because the singers were determined to bring their best possible game to Germany. It was simply remarkable. I was flabbergasted. (I) still am.”
Every person experienced it differently, but most importantly, they all experienced it together.
Some were mesmerized by how immense the competition was.
“I think that it’s really cool (be)cause I went over there, and I didn’t know how big of an organization this was,” music education junior Justin Shen said.
Some were moved by how far they’ve gotten and the way that song has changed their lives.
“Where I come from, music isn’t something you should choose as a career,” music education sophomore Andrea Montano said. “So just placing there and being at the competition it was new, and it was definitely gratifying. It was something that I never thought I would do. I never thought that I would travel and compete and sing. I never thought I’d be doing something like this because I’m from a small country.”
Others found that their hard work paid off.
“It’s really gratifying because we all worked extremely hard during the summer,” piano performance and choral music education Ryan Rodgers said. “The result was very satisfying. The experience was very much group-oriented, and there were very high expectations for everyone in the group. It’s said that you’re only as strong as your weakest link, and…it took everyone’s best effort to lift up the group.”
Those who have just recently joined Moores Music Chorale are excited for what’s in store.
“It’s kinda scary to live up to because you have to put a lot of work into it, but I’m excited because I want to create beautiful music. It’s thrilling to be a part of something so special,” vocal performance and music education freshman Jade Panares said.
Now that the Moores School of Music Chorale has received recognition for No.3 worldwide, the future possibilities are endless.
“It helps elevate what we do in the mind of the global community, which in turn helps elevate our wonderful Moores School and University,” Weber said.