This year, the annual PeCo chorus concert that includes the Newport, Greenwood, West Perry, and Susquenita middle and high school choirs occurred at the Greenwood High School on Feb. 2-3 and Feb. 9-10.
Usually, the middle and high school concerts are on the same day, but it was two separate weekends this year because the concerts were held at Greenwood;. Greenwood traditionally hosts the event on two separate weekends.
The music selection this year involved pieces of different styles including gospel, upbeat, and ballads. Newport’s choir director, Mrs. Rebecca Wiles said, “I thought the song selection for both MS and HS chorus was great. It displayed a wide variety of styles and time periods and I think they were great choices.”
The high school’s conductor was Dr. Jeffrey Gemmell. He conducted the choir as they performed, “Rise, Shine!,” arranged by Marques L.A. Garrett, “Your Voices Tune” edited and arranged by Matthew Michaels, “Tyger” by Elaine Hagenberg, “Heartbeat” by Kyle Pederson, and a German piece named “Singt dem Herren” by Michael Praetorius.
The high school performed several songs, but one stood out to Mrs. Wiles. “Although it’s very difficult to pick a favorite,” she explained, “I really like ‘Tyger’ that the HS [sang]. The text comes from a famous poem and the meaning of the text along with the arranger’s musical choices make this song meaningful and beautiful to me. Some of the pieces were new to me, so it’s always fun to learn new repertoire and things that maybe I myself would not have picked.”
The Middle school conductor was Mrs. Jennifer Wagner. The middle school performed “We Are the Children” by Jen Wagner, “Vox” by Greg Gilpin, “Ubi Caritas” by Victor C. Johnson, “Awake My Song” by Christopher Fox, and “Glory, Glory (I Feel Better)” arranged by Adam & Matt Podd. Conductor Mrs. Wagner actually wrote “We Are the Children,” which made it a natural choice for this concert.
“Heartbeat” includes a slow tempo with gentle lyrics and enters into the Shona language. At the piece’s end, the students made a heartbeat sound with their fists. This coincides with the lyrics, “Before you say the thing you’re thinkin’ to say…she’s got a heartbeat.”
Another tradition for Greenwood in hosting this event is allowing each school to sing a piece separate from the other schools. When the other schools host county chorus, the schools don’t give individual performances. Newport performed “It Feels New” written by PINKZEBRA, which they learned earlier in the year. The piece evokes feelings of a new winter and the peacefulness of the snow and breeze.
The students from Perry County practiced a lot to show off their skills and talent using their voices and emotions on stage. The schools put on a strong performance under the guidance of the guest conductors.
