Concert Choir performance to unite high school, college students

Every year, the University of Puget Sound’s Adelphian Concert Choir Spring Tour takes students to different cities to perform.

This year, its coming to Puyallup to sing alongside Puyallup High School’s Norselanders choir.

“It’s an educational experience for our students to do this concert repeatedly, because the more you do it the better you get at it,” said UPS choir conductor Steven Zopfi. “It’s a way for all of our students to give back a little bit to where they were just a few years ago. They can share the advanced collegiate level of singing in a choir.”

Occasionally there are UPS students in the choir who have come from PHS, said Zopfi, who knows PHS choir conductor George Guenther well.

“I’ve known George for years,” Zopfi said. “He’s a great colleague and he has a great program. I thought it would be great to go back to the Puyallup School District.”

“Steven has worked with my choir over the years and he knows our program here,” Guenther echoed. “He reached out to me and asked if we’d like to do a combined concert.”

His students were eager to do the concert, added Guenther. PHS has four different choirs, including the Norselanders, and perform about twice a month.

In previous years, PHS choirs and singers have gone to state competitions. Last year, the school’s male choir won first place, and its female choir won second. This year, the Norselanders choir, which has 16 singers, will be going to state in April. This concert is a way to prepare them, and a way for them to witness performances by students with a bit more experience.

“The idea of listening to new literature from a voice, performed well, is good (for the students) to listen to,” Guenther said. “It’s the next level up.”

Sarah Krogstad, a PHS senior on the Norselander choir, said that listening to other singers makes her a better musician.

“It’s kind of cool to see that we’re in the same boat and they’re just doing different, higher-level music,” she said. “The dedication that they have and the way they perform is a lot different.”

Krogstad plans to attend Pierce College after graduation, and wants to continue singing on the side.

“(Singing) is kind of an escape. There’s just something about it that gets your emotions out,” she said.

PHS senior Cory Mays has been singing since he was in sixth grade and is looking forward to the upcoming performance.

“I’m excited to work with a group that is older than us and to swap experience,” Mays said.

There are about 33 students in the Adelphian choir. In addition to the Norselanders choir, other PHS students will sing at the performance in a group of 55.

“The core of this concert is going to be a larger mixed group,” Guenther said.

The choirs will be singing a variety of music, including classical pieces, folk songs and world music. One piece will be Jake Runestad’s “Come to the Woods,” which is new.

The UPS Adelphian Concert Choir will perform with the PHS Norselanders at 7 p.m. March 15 at the Puyallup High School auditorium on 105 Seventh St. SW. For other tour stops, which include Bellingham High School, Schneebeck Concert Hall on the UPS campus in Tacoma and Christ Church Cathedral in British Columbia, visit the UPS Adelphian Concert Choir’s website.

This story was originally published March 8, 2017 at 10:24 AM with the headline "Concert Choir performance to unite high school, college students."