The 2016-17 school year has been a busy one for the chorus; members of the group performed at the legendary Carnegie Hall on December 1 and now are preparing for a big concert that is much closer to home.[private]
Select members of the Senior Chorus at Hoosick Falls High School will be participating in a performance at the Troy Savings Bank Music Hall on January 22, 2017. Hoosick Falls students are among other local high school choirs sharing the stage with Albany Pro Musica (APM). The performances are all part of the annual “High School Choral Festival,” which pairs high school students with the region’s premier chorus at a nationally renowned concert hall.
The Hoosick Falls Senior Chorus members will perform as an individual group, followed by a grand finale – 260 voices and instrumentalists under the baton of APM Artistic Director José Daniel Flores-Caraballo.
The 20 representatives from Hoosick Falls will create a treble choir, singing in three parts – two sopranos and one alto.
Hoosick Falls students will be performing alongside students from some of the largest high schools in the capital district, including Queensbury and Saratoga. Ms.Yudkoff, director, said, “To perform on the stage with those schools, we cannot compete with their size, so we bring an exciting repertoire.”
The students have been working hard under the direction of Ms. Yudkoff because this show has a lot of music to learn. Yudkoff said, “The Troy Savings Bank Music Hall is an auditorium that has the acoustics second to none. Famous musicians like cellist Yo-Yo Ma have used the space for the purity of sound.” The Troy Savings Bank Music Hall has been continuously operating since the 19th century and has a rich history of attracting performers such as Ella Fitzgerald, Pete Seeger, and Elvis Costello because of the acoustics.
Yudkoff added, “Our students sing without microphones – no amplification – because of the space.”
Gracie Gorman, a junior said, “This is my first year going to Troy Music Hall. I was very excited to hear that I was being selected to go. I would like to personally thank my family, friends and my fabulous chorus teacher, Mrs. Yudkoff for helping me become the talented singer that I am today.”
HFCSD helps students find and use their voices, and according to Ms. Yudkoff, “For students to sing in such a magnificent space allows them to have a truly beautiful experience while using their voices in a big way. This experience is both gratifying and bolsters their self-esteem.”
For more information, please visit the Albany Pro Musica site: http://www.albanypromusica.org/concerts/
General Admission tickets are $15.
For tickets and more information, please visit the Troy Savings Bank Music Hall website: http://www.troymusichall.org/shows_and_tickets/The-High-School-Choral-Festival_192_event.htm [/private]