With their competition hiatus now over, the Chatham-Kent Secondary School choir brought home the gold after a strong showing at the recent MusicFest in Windsor.
The choir is made up of 20 students in grades 9 through 12, led by music teacher and director, Christine Baribeau.
They first performed a piece called “Mo Li Hua” (The Jasmine Flower) which is a traditional Chinese folk song that was arranged by Jill Gallina. The lyrics for the song are in both Mandarin and English. They were accompanied by Joy Anderson. The piece also featured a flute solo accompaniment performed by Jennifer Hua.
The second piece they performed was “Thula Klizeo,” a song written by Joseph Shabalala about the importance of family. The lyrics of the song are written in Zulu and English, but the piece also includes choreographed stomping, clapping and spoken word sections.
Adjudicators Brad Barnham and Christine Prosser gave the choir feedback on their performances.
Madison Wilson was awarded the top musician for the group. She was also one of the few choir members who had performed for MusicFest prior to the pandemic.
A gold standard signifies that an ensemble has achieved excellence in all facets of its performance. It also extends an invitation for the choir to attend the nationals in Niagara Falls.
However, the choir plans to defer their participation in the nationals until the spring of 2024 so that they can raise funds for travel costs.
The choir is also planning for their next performance May 27 at St. Andrew’s United Church, as part of the United in Song children’s choir festival.
They will join six other choirs for the learning, performing, and mass choir experience that they will have on that day.