Written by Gracie Brandl
The Maryville College Concert Choir all posed together!
This September 9th and 10th, the Maryville College Concert Choir kicked off the year with our annual Choir Retreat! We finally got back together after the summer to welcome our new and returning members to this year's choir!
Our 2022-2023 Choir retreat was filled with music, laughter, and a few tears. For anyone who doesn't know, the MC Concert Choir's Retreat is a time we use to start getting to know our new students and start getting our repertoire for the year down. We spend Friday and Saturday with the Concert Choir practicing, getting to know each other, and having fun. We also induct our new members, our first year choristers, into the Choir with a beautiful and heartfelt ceremony.
The music was a blast. We worked on all sorts of pieces for the coming year. With Homecoming arriving fast and hopes for Scotland in all our hearts, we set our minds on getting as much done in our sectionals and rehearsal times as possible. We got a lot of work done and we learned many of these pieces during the time we had during Retreat.
The choristers were also split into many different groups throughout Retreat. We had sectionals, of course, where each choir section met and went over individual parts and got to know each other better.
The Choir Families in order: the McAndersons, the McPearsons, the McFayerweathers, and the McHumphreys.
The Sopranos, Altos, Tenors, and Basses were then divided into our Choir Families for this year. Each family is named after a historic location on campus. Our four families of the year are the McAndersons, the McPearsons, the McFayerweathers, and the McHumphreys. We even had a bit of friendly competition between the Families. We sang the Lutkin Benediction for everyone else to hear. Each family did a fantastic job in their smaller groups and the Choral Staff praised all of us for our performances.
Several Photos of the Concert Choir participating in Dance Friday in the Clayton Center for the Arts Foyer.
There was also our group fun. We hosted the Ultimate Dance Friday during Retreat on Friday afternoon, led by Mrs. Stacey Wilner, and had a blast dancing around the Clayton Center for the Arts foyer. We had a group dinner outside Pearson's as well, where all the choristers mixed, mingled, and had a good time.
A bunch of our members at the induction ceremony!
Last, but certainly not least, the Induction Ceremony. After dinner on Friday night, we made our way to Humphrey's Court, where the famous Covenant Stone is located. All the choir members gathered around the Stone for the ceremony this year. There were beautiful, kind messages by many of the returning choir members for our new members giving words of encouragement, excitement, and advise for the years ahead. We sang the Lutkin Benediction and tears were shed as we welcomed our new members into this loving and supportive group.
We have many exciting and fun things going on this was a fantastic kick-off. Stay tuned through our Social Media to get updates and information on what the MC Concert Choir is doing this year. Coming up, Off Kilter, Lads, and Lassies will be performing a concert on Oct. 11th in the Clayton Center for the Arts Lambert Recital Hall and the Maryville College Homecoming is just two weeks away!
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