NORWICH – Following a year of preparation and fundraising, a select group of eight Norwich High School students and members of the NHS Madrigals Singers and Choir will perform one final time before traveling overseas for the annual Prague Choral Festival.
At 4 p.m. on Sunday at the United Church of Christ, 11 Main St., the group – which includes Dillon Smith, Joshua Seeley, Josh Mahannah, Brooke Bonney, Sean Sheldon, Tambria Schroeder, Amanda Caulfield and Megan Reynolds – will hold its Sing Out for Prague Send-Off Concert. According to NHS Music Director Mary Mayo, it’s a chance for the students to say thank you to the community and its continued support over the last 12 months.
Mayo said the students have had a demanding year, both academically and musically. In April, seven of the eight participated in the school’s production of “Phantom of the Opera,” which Mayo called an accomplishment in and of itself.
At the same time, the students also learned several extremely challenging movements of Mozart’s “Requiem” for the NHS Spring Concert, prepared their individual NYSSMA solos and attended all-county and area all-state festivals, as well as the NYSSMA majors.
Add to all of that the students’ school work, which includes advanced courses for many, and it’s easy to see why this group is so special, said Mayo.
“These students are expected to excel in everything they do and they have exceeded my expectations at every turn,” she added.
In July, all of that hard work will have paid off, according to Mayo, when the group departs for the “City of a Hundred Spires,” a musical mecca and the capital of the Czech Republic.
Approximately 400 students from all over the globe will attend the annual festival, where they’ll take part in a number of clinics, musical workshops and concerts. Thanks to the Norwich group’s Prague Festival sponsor, Hartwick College, the students will have an opportunity to work with some of the world’s finest choral conductors, Dr. André Thomas, Dr. Anton Armstrong and Dr. Raymond Wise, said Mayo.
