On February 7, 16 choir students attended the Lee University Honor Choir for rehearsal from 8:30 a.m. until 6 p.m. The Music Education Department of Lee University has organized the Honor Choir for over 35 years, and Central Choir students have participated in the Lee Honor Choir for several years. The directors for the choir this year were Dr. Allison Mann, from Kennesaw State University, and Dr. Joshua Cheney, who is one of Lee’s own professors.

“It is a wonderful event because it gives students an opportunity to sing in a large, advanced choir, under the direction of university professors,” said Central’s choir teacher, Mrs. Latham.

High school choir directors are allowed to choose the students who they believe are qualified to be a part of the Honor Choir.

“I used the following criteria to choose students: musical ability, dedication to singing, [and] positive attitude,” Mrs. Latham explained. “I invited students who met this criteria to consider attending the Lee Honor Choir.”

Students were required to pay a $50 fee, get parent permission, and were responsible for their transportation. Unfortunately, a couple students could not make it to the performance due to scheduling issues and conflicts with work. The students who attended gained experience with singing in a men’s choir, a ladies’ choir, and a mixed choir with both men and women.

The concert was named after one of the songs the mixed choir performed; “Come Away to the Skies.” The theme of the concert was centered around Appalachian folk songs. The mixed choir also sang “No Time,” a traditional camp meeting song, along with “Come Away to the Skies.” The Ladies’ Choir sang “Bright Morning Stars are Rising,” “Come Pretty Love,” and “The Gift to be Simple,” while the Men’s Choir sang “Hard Times Come Again No More,” “Pineywood Mountain,” and “Shady Grove.”

“The performance was really nice, and I loved seeing all of the different choirs perform their pieces,” said one of the Central’s participants, Senior Jaleesa Smith. “I had fun learning all of the new songs and working with lots of different people who all shared the common goal of trying to learn the music to the best of their ability. It was really cool seeing what all of the students, directors, and pianists could pull together in such a small amount of time. I was a bit nervous at first, but I was also really excited to perform, and I think we did really well for the short amount of time we had.”

The students performed on February 8. The concert was free and open to the public at 3:00 pm at the Conn Center on the Lee University Campus. A video of the concert can be found on the Lee University website, or by using this link:  https://livestream.com/leeu/events/8990795

“It made me really happy that I got the opportunity to go,” explained  Smith. “I loved the experience I had there last year and being able to go, even though I’m not in choir anymore, was great, and I am thankful to them for that.”