The Chamber Choir has been East’s most selective choir group since the school was founded in 1958. Any East student in the choir program has the chance to audition. The Chamber Choir performs all around the community, as well as in concerts four times a year.
Composed of 12 girls and 12 boys, Chambers is made of East’s best singers, regardless of age.
Since director Ken Foley, came to East, the audition process has changed. To audition, students meet one-on-one with Foley where he exercises the student’s voice to see what kind of vocal range they have, as well as their tone. Then, he tests pitch memory by playing notes on the piano and having them sing the note back to him. Finally, Foley gives the student a piece of music that they haven’t seen before and they have to try to sight-read it.
On an average day in class, which all the Chamber singers have fourth hour, they will gather in a circle and rehearse and work on their pieces. Usually the Chamber Choir sings four songs per concert. Every class is started with vocal exercises, to get their voices warm, then they go into detail with their songs to work on dynamics, diction, breathing and balance between the voices.
On block periods, which give them extra time, Foley likes to go around and have the students share what’s going on with them. They call it “share time.” They could share something exciting that happened that week, tell jokes, talk about college or whatever else is going on in their lives.
“I think the choir sings better when they’re more of a family,” Foley said.
The four songs that they performed at the Holiday Concert and the songs from past concerts will stay in the Chamber Choir’s repertoire, so they will go out and sing programs, especially during the holiday season.
They sing at community gatherings, country club brunches and PTA meetings. Though Foley gets frequent requests for the Chamber Choir to perform outside of school, they do not charge. They do accept donations to the Choir Boosters, which can range from $50 to $500. They usually bring in a lot of money in December, which goes into the program as a whole; they have had five gigs in a week alone.
“It’s great, we get to bring in a little money for the program and we get to go out and perform,” Foley said. “We’re just representatives of the school and the community, and it’s fun.”
Anyone who gets into the Chamber Choir is in for the rest of their time at East. Foley doesn’t believe in the idea of re-auditioning someone just to not let them in. However, If someone does something that means they shouldn’t be in the choir, he will remove them
It’s like being in a family. This 24-voice group is made of East’s most talented singers and they grow together as they sing together.
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