Every year, Central’s choir has the opportunity to show off their abundant talent in The Hamilton County High School Choral Festival. The festival has been in place for eight years, and each year the choir has participated. The choir teacher, Katheron Latham, has used her love for music to guide her students to the amount of success they have accomplished.

The Choir Festival lasted all day Friday October 4, from 8:30 in the morning until 7:30 at night. Eight different schools came together at Ridgedale Baptist Church to practice and collaborate on numerous songs.

The schools’ choirs performed a song with the help of a professor from Lee University. Where they were able to perform pieces with students from all over the county.

There were two mass choirs, one men’s and one women’s choir. The men’s choir performed “Roll Jordan Roll,” a spiritual piece arranged by Ruth Gray. The women’s choir performed “A Girl’s Garden,” by Randall Thompson. Then, a mass mixed choir performed two songs, “Ain’t a That Good News,” and “Cover me with the Night.”

“At the festival, there were a lot of people. It was fun music and we could dance. We practiced a lot– [for] hours and hours. The professor was very interesting and we even had lunch in the church,” sophomore choir member May Soares said.

After the choirs practiced and everything was in order, there was a concert to showcase the different choirs’ talents. The concert was at the same place the choirs practiced, Ridgedale Baptist. The concert began at six, welcoming anyone who wanted to come. Dr. Joshua Cheney from Lee University was the guest conductor during the performance for the mass choir pieces.

“The concert was so good. Everyone was together and on key. It was a good experience, [I would rate it a] ten out of ten,” freshman choir member Gabby Roberts stated. Even though she did not perform with the group, she appreciated her fellow peers that were representing Central.

“Our Choir Participates [in the annual festival] for several reasons: one, to experience hearing other high school choirs, two, to perform ourselves for the other high schools, and three, to experience singing under the direction of a college professor. This festival is really the only time choirs from all over the city get to experience hearing each other perform and make music together,” Latham said.

“It is an amazing and life changing experience to get to sing with people from different schools in my district,” Senior Tyra Moore, the president of the choir, stated.

Latham has many other performances planned to show off the choir’s talent this fall. The choir will sing at the “Share Your Christmas” Food Drive sponsored by WRCB Channel 3 News on December sixth. The choir will also perform with Central’s jazz band at the “Christmas at the Courthouse” event on December 13. The Choir’s official Winter Concert will take place on December 16.

“Music is so important to me as an individual because it gives me joy to learn and perform, as well as to express myself as a person. I also love teaching music because I enjoy seeing students develop their talents and abilities, as well as seeing them share their distinct personalities through music,” Latham concluded.