On January 16, 2019, the nest hosted multiple choirs from Thunder Ridge and Horizon Middle School. As their first experience singing with a high school choir, many of the middle school students were ecstatic to have such an opportunity

     “I plan on doing choir in high school, so being apart of this will really help me prepare for what to expect when I get here,” said Samuel McNamara, currently an eighth grader at Thunder Ridge Middle School.

      Both members from the jazz and Madrigals choir from Eaglecrest participated in a small pre-show informational meeting, discussing the broader choir options in our school and the foundational values our choir community prides itself on.

     “Choir should be really fun for you guys and if you’re gonna do it in high school, you’ll get the chance to not only do what you love, but experience singing with other people who love it just as much.”said Claire Hendricks, the madrigals president. 

      After a quick rehearsal and lunch, the middle schoolers settled in the audience to view the Eaglecrest Jazz choir kicking off the evening. After two extremely well composed songs, many members of jazz took their places among the madrigals choir to sing “My Very Own”, a touching ballad of romance, and “My Souls Been Anchored”, a powerful lament of religious dedication.

       Up next was the Thunder Ridge mixed choir, expertly directed by Mrs. Teresa Newman. Though one of the lower choirs at the school, they did an excellent job, displaying a strong tone and lots of energy. They were followed by the women’s choir of Thunder Ridge, who were equally well rehearsed and eager to show our high school students the abundance of talent they possess.

Horizon Middle School, though represented by only one choir, did not fail to impress. Singing a total of three songs, the mixed choir exuded confidence, showing off their powerful men’s section as well as their honed harmonizing skills. 

But the final piece, sung by both middle school choirs as well as our very own madrigals choir, took the cake as far as true excellence goes. In the hands of this combined choir, “Winters Waking”, composed by Amy F. Bernon, was an uplifting experience. Seeing the choirs together really emphasised the sense of community we have here at Eaglecrest and truly made a lasting impression on the Class of 2024, some of which are soon to join us.

“I was a little nervous to sing in front of the high schoolers. I wasn’t sure if I was good enough. But after this, I feel a lot more confident in my decision to keep pursuing choir into highschool.” said Chloe Gordon, another Thunder Ridge student.

With a better idea of what choir here at Eaglecrest looks like, I daresay that we’ll be seeing some of these faces again in our very own choirs with the arrival of the Class of 2024 next year.