West Holmes and Waynedale female choir members enjoy once-in-a-lifetime chance to sing with The Three Tenors
Members of the Waynedale High School Descants, who were chosen to sing in the College of Wooster’s concert presentation of “Christmas in Vienna,” include: in front, Kori Miller, left, Emma Zuercher and Dorcas Raber; middle, Tori Tullis, Olivia Ford and Makalin Sims; and back, Kacie McConahay, Madalyn Conner and Alexis Miller.
When the Wooster Symphony Orchestra took the stage this Christmas season with The Three Tenors, a trio of area high schools participated in a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to share the stage with them.
The Wooster Symphony Orchestra, under the direction of Jeffrey Lindberg, along with the Wooster Symphony Youth Chorus, under the direction of Toni Shreve, joined renowned tenors Timothy Culver, Benjamin Krumreig and Clark Sturdevant to present “Christmas in Vienna: A Tribute to The Three Tenors” on Friday, Dec. 1 at McGaw Chapel on the College of Wooster campus.
While The Three Tenors took center stage, accompanying them were a number of selected female singers from West Holmes and Waynedale high schools and elementary girls from the Norwayne school district.
Waynedale choir director Sean Eppler had more than a dozen from his top-level group, The Descants. He said the members of the school’s premier women’s ensemble didn’t hesitate when offered a chance to participate in this Christmas extravaganza.
“They were extremely excited because I told them this may be their only opportunity to ever sing with a full orchestra at such a unique concert at this big of a venue,” Eppler said.
Shreve visited Waynedale High School twice a week in an effort to teach the girls the parts involved with the program.
Eppler said that although all the members of The Descants have done plenty of choir concerts, this was something completely new, and thus it ushered in a sense of awe that they had to deal with.
“We are talking about a full-scale orchestra with The Three Tenors, and there is added pressure there,” Eppler said. “It is different than what they are used to. They sit for stretches of time and have to stand up and perform at a moment’s notice. It is a very large-scale performance, and with the size of the venue, it creates an amazing and somewhat nerve-racking atmosphere.”
Kristen O’Brien, music director at West Holmes High School, said being involved with something like this takes a lot of time and effort, but the fruits of performing in such a grandiose venue is something her students will never forget.
O’Brien had 17 girls from the West Holmes Chamber Choir, and her concert choir section leaders participated in the event. She also said the girls were anticipating something special on the big night.
“Toni has a history of working with our kids, so when she asked if we would be interested in singing for this event, we jumped at the chance because it is such an honor and a wonderful opportunity,” O’Brien said.
She said the girls practiced hard at school, preparing to participate in 11 different songs throughout the evening.
“They really worked hard because there are some difficult songs, and some of them are in different languages,” O’Brien said.
The Lady Knight singers practiced hard in the evenings after school, and on the week of the performance, they traveled to the College of Wooster to become more acclimated with McGaw Chapel. That week also gave them a chance to sing with the girls from the other schools as well as bringing in all of the different groups.
The featured singers of the evening were The Three Tenors, who sang original performances in seven languages that included English, German, Italian, Spanish, French, Polish and Latin.
Selections for the tribute concert included “Adeste Fideles” (“O Come, All Ye Faithful”), “Cantique de Noel” (“O Holy Night”), “Ave Maria, dolce Maria,” “Oh Tannenbaum,” “Tu Scendi dalle stelle,” “Amazing Grace,” “Dormi, O Bambino,” “Silent Night,” “Susani,” “Happy Christmas/War Is Over,” “Carol of the Drum,” “I’ll Be Home for Christmas,” “Sleigh Ride,” “Winter Wonderland” and “Feliz Navidad.”
Culver has been described as having “a rich but penetrating tenor” and that he “faces florid tenor writing with a fearless vivacity.”
Krumreig is well-versed in opera, operetta and musical theater. He has performed with the Ohio Light Opera for five seasons.
Sturdevant has performed with the Dayton Opera, Kentucky Opera, Owensboro Symphony Orchestra, Pacific Opera Project in Los Angeles and Ohio Light Opera, among others. Broadway World describes him as “a young, fit, handsome fellow with a beautiful clear tenor voice.”
To sing with that kind of talent while accompanying a full orchestra is one of those rich opportunities that will remain in the minds of the high school girls for years to come.
“These kinds of performances don’t come along very often, so I told the girls to just work hard and go out and enjoy being a part of something special,” O’Brien said.
West Holmes sophomore Ryleigh Loeber, an aspiring singer who hopes to continue her singing career after graduation, said the opportunity is one each of the members will remember a long time.
“This has been exciting because we have all been so enthusiastic, and we have gotten to know each other a lot better through the experience,” Loeber said. “Once you get up there in front of all of those people with a full orchestra and The Three Tenors, it is nerve-racking but so much fun. We are going to remember this.”
The concert was sponsored by the Women’s Committee of the Wooster Symphony Orchestra and provided funding for scholarships, which are presented at the end of the academic year.