Like many others, I wanted to join choir my freshman year because I love to sing, but I had no idea what experiences joining choir would afford me. As an ambitious freshman, I enrolled in as many Pre-IB classes as I could, which meant that I couldn’t fit chorus into my schedule. For my entire first year, I walked in 35 minutes late, toting my lunch bag and alternating phrases of “Into theWoods” by Sondheim with bites of my sandwich, while learning the rest of the music at home.
I was largely motivated by the possibility of going to Germany that summer and seeing the friends I had made two years prior, when my family hosted students from Deitrich Bonhoeffer Gymnasium (DBG). For years, the choir department had participated in a student exchange program with DBG, a high school located in Eppelheim, Germany, and that year, it was our choir’s turn to visit them and sing in cathedrals, churches and concert halls throughout Germany, France and Austria.
The year went by so quickly and before I knew it, I was working with upperclassmen after school as we prepared our repertoire. While I knew there was a significant historical background to the places I was visiting, I had no idea that not only were some of these buildings over 1,000 years old, but also that they had survived through major historical events. The Strasbourg Cathedral, located in France, had lasted through the invasion of King Louie XIV in 1681, the French revolution in 1791, and WWII when Adolf Hitler declared it a “national sanctuary” for Germany. It was absolutely incredible to me to simply see these places, and then for a brief moment, fill the cavernous space with sound. Best of all, I was able to go this past summer as well.
But outside of traveling to foreign countries, the program has provided me with a chance to perform major choral works with professional orchestral accompaniment like Gabriel Faure’s Requium, Carmina Burana by Carl Orff, and John Rutter’s Gloria. Many singers aren’t exposed to this level of music, except in area choirs or university choirs. These choral works have provided me with the chance to craft a piece of music, where we work carefully to convey the meaning and emotion behind each phrase, regardless of the language its in, instead of just singing the notes on the page. The choirs that I have participated in have sung in Old English, Latin, German, French and in styles ranging from English madrigals to contemporary gospel songs. We’ve sung in the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in DC, the Willard Hotel and this year we will perform at Fort Belvoir, the National Cathedral, and the Old Presbyterian Meeting House.
Three years later, I am convinced that every confused glance that followed me as I made my way, late, to the back row was completely worth it. The program here is distinct; very few high schools have choral programs of this caliber, and most do not have the advantage of our close proximity to D.C. With so many popular electives at AHS, it can be difficult to stay in one program for four years, but I know that the choir program is worth the commitment, because it pays off in ways I never knew it could.
