Chamber Choir singers from Pleasant Valley were invited to sing with local professional choral ensemble, the Nova Singers, at a special feature concert series through the Oct. 13-14 weekend.

“Project Sing” is the title of the Nova’s unique concert where they feature select choir members from two specific Quad City high schools. Eight Pleasant Valley students, with one from each voice part, were invited to perform alongside Nova members singing pieces which were part of the concert setlist. The rehearsal process included two brief meetings and a run-through over the month of October.

Chamber Choir was featured following Nova’s intermission. Under the direction of Meg Bryrne, this concert marked Chamber Choir’s third guest performance over the last year, with the past two alongside both Augustana and Luther College choirs.

Their set included two pieces from the 2018 All State Chorus literature including “Musicks Empire” -a song which tells the mythical story of music’s creation using themes reminiscent of chant- and “El Hambo”-a song with influences of traditional Nordic dance music sung in an entirely made-up language with some ties to Finnish vowels.  

The concert was held at St. Paul Lutheran Church in Davenport, which has seemingly become the select venue for Pleasant Valley guest performances. The ringing acoustics in the sanctuary and excellent audience accommability made it an exciting return for members of Chamber Choir.

Members of the “Project Sing” experience were especially moved by the experience. Maddie Wells, a senior Chamber Choir vocalist, commented on how opportunities to perform with professional ensembles give her something to look forward to as a prospective adult vocalist.

“It’s easy to think that high school and college are the only times you’ll participate in an ensemble like [Chamber Choir], so it was reassuring to see so many people living perfectly normal lives and still being able to participate in choir,” said Wells.

Alex Jungers is a senior Chamber Choir member who looked at the performance as a chance to observe what the professional music community looks like from the outside. Jungers said, “The opportunity to learn what a college or professional music program could look like was invaluable. I am very grateful to have had this experience!”

Wells and Jungers are not alone in their gratitude. Singers from Chamber Choir were happy to have this experience unique to most high school choirs.