Written by: Talia Gualtieri
Staff Writer

The Peddie Chorus performed with the University of Alabama-Birmingham Concert Choir at St. Mark’s Cathedral in Philadelphia on April 6.

“I was so proud of how we represented the school and the music department outside Peddie’s walls,” said choral director Marisa Green. “So many people came up to tell me how impressed they were with the music we performed, which is great, but they also mentioned how beautifully the students conducted themselves, which is even more important!”

The full chorus performed selections from their fall and winter concerts, including How Can I Keep From Singing by Andy Beck, Tomorrow Shall Be My Dancing Day by John Gardiner, True Light by Keith Hampton, and a compilation of songs from the Broadway musical Godspell composed by Stephen Schwartz.

The Peddie Singers, also directed by Green, sang Ubi Caritas by Maurice Duruflé while the Treblemakers, directed by Diana Corliss, performed For Good from the Broadway musical Wicked composed by Stephen Schwartz and The Storm Is Passing Over by Charles Tindley.

The Alabama choir performed songs from a variety of genres and cultures, including traditional church and classical music as well as modern compositions.

“Their rich, deep sound [added] an awe inspiring element to their songs,” Kieran Beach ’15 said.

The Alabama singers utilized the space in the church in interesting ways.

“I loved how they used the space in the church,” said Green. “For instance, they sang some pieces in the round in the back of the church to use the particular acoustics there.”

The performance ended with both choruses singing the South African hymn Siyahamba by Andries van Tonder together.

“I thought it was a neat experience where different people with different backgrounds could come together over the common ground of music,” Isabella Perera ’15 said. “The trip provided us with an opportunity to sing with an amazing choir for a great audience and allowed us to grow as singers.”

Many Peddie students also had a chance to interact with the Alabama students.

“The university students made it really clear that they enjoyed our performance,” Molly Chertkov ’15 said. “What I didn’t expect was for them to be as friendly as they were. I learned a lot more about what it’s like in Alabama than I did before just from talking to one of the kids.”