More than 90+ singers filled St. Andrews Cathedral with beautiful
choral music on October 9, 2011 during the the 37th Annual Oahu
Sacred Music Festival. Coming from various churches, schools and
community choirs, these musicians gave up their evenings on
October 7 - 9 to rehearse a wide range of sacred choral pieces.
From the very traditional to works in Hebrew and Kenyan, the
repertoire provided a nice mix of challenging arrangements and
accessible melodies.
Dr. Edith Copley served as our festival clinician. A Professor of
Music and Director of Choral Studies at Northern Arizona
University, Dr. Copley is highly sought after as a choral
clinician. Her skills in choral techniques, vocal instruction,
interpretation and musicianship was evident, as she took singers
of varying abilities and melded them into a cohesive singing
ensemble. (For more about Dr. Copley, click here.)
The weekend was also to benefit our choral directors. Besides
watching Dr. Copley work with the main chorus, local directors
were invited to a lunch and roundtable session on Saturday.
Directors brought up specific issues they were experiencing with
their choirs, and were able to take advantage of Dr. Copley's and
other directors' experience to find possible solutions.
The festival culminated in a free concert on October 9, 2011. In
just three short days, strangers became friends and a group of
disparate singers became an ensemble worth listening to. The OSMF
choir sang with passion, and they made an immediate connection
with the audience.
Perhaps more rehearsal time would lead to tighter singing. But
the rewards of this festival go way beyond the concert
performance. Singers came for their common love of sacred choral
music, and in a time where there are many things that drive us
apart, it's nice to know there are still things that bring us
together.
Click here for more photos from the festival.