Choral Festival draws 4 schools
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POLSON — Traveling buses from Hamilton, Stevensville and Whitefish clustered around Polson High School on Nov. 14 and 15. The buses carried students who participated in the 11th Annual Western A Choral Festival.
Guest clinician this year was Dr. Scott Anderson from Idaho State University. Anderson conducts the ISU Chamber and Choirs as well as teaching at the university.
“The festival is set up so that each choir works individually with the clinician,” said Chris Bumgarner, PHS Concert Choir Director. “Dr. Anderson did a workshop for about 45 minutes with each group.”
In all, about 130 students attended the festival. They rehearsed Monday afternoon and evening and most of Tuesday.
The great thing about this kind of festival, according to Bumgarner, is that students get to work with other directors and sing next to students from other schools. He added that Anderson sometimes rehearsed smaller groups of students “demonstrating a variety of vocal techniques and ways to improve their sound.”
To cap the festival, the choirs performed a special concert on Nov. 15 at 6:30 p.m. Each choir performed one song alone and then combined to sing six songs. They sang “Let Their Celestial Concerts All Unite,” “Bongoroditse Devo,” “Psalm 100,” “A-Roving,” “Still Wie Die Nacht” and “Neighbor’s Chorus.”
Accompanists were Karla Gallatin and Kelsey Koberg.
