The Chamber Choir participated in an annual performance held by West Valley College’s music program at St. Andrew’s Episcopal School on Oct. 25 and received valuable feedback from the guest adjudicator, Dr. Cari Earnhart, a Fresno State music professor.
Though West Valley College has traditionally hosted as well, the event has been held at St. Andrew’s for the past two years due to West Valley College’s undergoing construction projects; however, senior Joyce Lee appreciated the beauty and acoustics brought by St. Andrew’s church venue.
Under the guidance of choir teacher Shelley Durbin, the choir sang “Segalariak,” “Shoshone Love Song (The Heart’s Friend)” and “Falling Water.”
Unlike most choir performances, the event did not include judges; feedback was instead given by clinicians and other performing choir groups.
“I learned a lot about how our choir can sound more resonant, and I also learned from the other choir’s feedback,” junior Simone Moolchadani said.
The performance brought together several choirs from schools across the Bay Area, including the Fremont High School Treble Choir, Pioneer High School Mustang Chorale, Valley Christian High School Conservatory Chorus and the West Valley College Concert Choir.
Having the opportunity to watch the West Valley College choir perform gave students valuable insight to college-level singing.
With the performance bringing so many schools together, community bonds were strengthened through supportive feedback and encouragement.
“My favorite part of the experience was just the community while interacting with the other schools who were there,” Lee said. “When we got off stage, the school sitting in front of us congratulated us and complemented our performance. The overall community there was really supportive.”
