Early last week, the Festival of Voices took place in Palmer Hall. Middle and high school students from across the state came to sing with the Montevallo concert choir. Middle schoolers performed on Monday and High schoolers performed on Tuesday.
People from all demographics came to see the concert, but the toddlers in the audience seemed to particularly enjoy the music. Several danced in the aisles and waved their arms in time with the music, even stomping their feet with the performers on stage.
Both days of the festival started with the concert choir singing “Command the Angles, That they Come” by Dietrich Buxtehude and “The Glory of the Father” by Egil Hovland with piano accompaniment by Dr. Lynn Faulkner and flute accompaniment by Dr. Becky Halliday. Then, three members of the concert choir presented solo songs. Samantha Copner, Kye Winn and Mia Wilson performed on Monday and Ginny Waid, Cameron Corbitt and Madison Smith performed on Tuesday.
After the solos, the visiting students were brought up on stage to sing. The middle school sang “Didn’t my Lord Deliver Daniel?” arranged by Greg Gilpin and “Come in From the Firefly Darkness” by Amy Feldman Bernon, finishing the day off by coming into the aisles, standing amongst the audience and singing “America the Beautiful” arranged by Buryl Red.
The highschoolers sang and “Be the Love” by Klye Pederson and “Sing out, my Soul” by Marques L. A. Garrett, which involved percussive elements like the performers stomping their feet and slapping their hands against their knees.
Dr. Melinda Doyle ended each day of the festival with a congratulatory address to both the performers and the many parents and volunteers who allowed the festival to run smoothly.
