Eight high school choral ensembles will take the stage on Saturday, March 2, 2019 from 1 to 5 p.m. to compete for a total of $5000 in prize monies at the Second Annual Easton Choral Arts Society (ECAS) High School Choral Competition at Easton High School in Easton, MD. The Competition was designed by ECAS to be an outreach to the youth of the region to instill the life-long pursuit of choral music – both as performers and as consumers.
According to Carolyn Harrison, this year’s ECAS Competition Administrator, “We reach out to the youth of today hoping that they will continue to perform and enjoy listening to quality choral works as they move through life.”
The Competition is open to public and private high school ensembles, comprised of a minimum of 12 singers, within an approximate 150-mile radius of Easton. The eight choral ensembles were selected through a blind audition process by a screening committee of ECAS. Each ensemble will perform three selections from different major musical periods, such as the Renaissance, Baroque, Classical, or 20th Century periods, to demonstrate the group’s versatility. The eight finalists at this year’s Competition are Arundel High School, Bel Air High School, Edgewood High School, Kent Island High School, Liberty High School, Severn School, Queen Anne’s County High School, and Reservoir High School.
According to Wes Lockfaw, Artistic Director of the Easton Choral Arts Society, “This year’s Competition will feature in one location eight accomplished high school choirs who will exhibit some of the finest choral work among high schools in the Mid-Atlantic region. We are very pleased to be able to present such a complement of young choral and vocal talent to Talbot County, and we are extremely proud to be able to showcase and invest in both their work and the work of their directors.”
The Competition will begin at 1 p.m. with the performance of the first choral group. The final chorus will perform at 3:40 p.m. The ensembles will be judged by three judges. Results of the Competition will be announced at approximately 5 p.m. and checks will be issued at that time. The prize monies are designated to benefit the choral music program in each recipient’s school. The ensemble that is judged the best based on their performance that day will receive a check for $2,500.00. The second place ensemble will take home $1,500.00 and the third place ensemble will be awarded $1,000.00. Donations from generous supporters of the Easton Choral Arts Society are making the Competition possible.
Last year’s Competition winners: Arundel High School – Anne Arundel County, MD (First Prize Winner), Tower Hill School – New Castle County, DE (Second Place Winner), and Liberty High School – Carroll County, MD (Third Place Winner) each used their winnings to help their school’s choral arts programs. Purchases included building up a school’s choral library, new music folders, new sight singing books, new file cabinets, and new risers to benefit their choral arts programs.
Andi Brumbach, Director of Choral Music at Arundel High School, commented, “ECAS is a true choral competition where choirs from virtually anywhere can come together to share their music, which also gives my choir students a chance to hear other choirs as well. I like also that ECAS focuses on the traditional music time periods, Renaissance, Baroque, Classic Era, Romantic Era, 20th Century, and Contemporary. ECAS also encourages singing in foreign languages which is central to choral traditions and performance practice.”
Dick Doughty, President of ECAS, added, “This is a fun day for all. Audience members enjoy staying through the entire process to see who wins. You get attached to the ensembles and root for them as the Competition proceeds. We were thrilled with the quality of the performances last year and look forward to this year’s group.”
Audience tickets for the Competition may be purchased for $10 on the ECAS website eastonchoralarts.org or at the door. Students are admitted free of charge. Easton High School is located at 723 Mecklenburg Avenue, Easton, MD 21601. For further information regarding the Choral Competition, please contact the ECAS Choral Competition Administrator, Carolyn Harrison, at: [email protected]
The Mission of the Easton Choral Arts Society is to bring great choral masterworks programs to audiences of all ages on the Eastern Shore of Maryland. The organization’s vision is to contribute to the cultural life of the community by providing a volunteer organization to local singers of all ages who are committed to the challenge of choral music repertoire study and quality public performance. Easton Choral Arts Society believes in the power of music and its ability to meaningfully contribute to a rich and satisfying life experience for mature and young people alike. Learn more about ECAS at eastonchoralarts.com.
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