By Gassia Ashikian
Staff Writer
The Mira Costa Advanced Women’s Choir participated in a three-day retreat from Sept. 7-9 at Camp Comrade Chinook near Big Bear.
The main focus of the retreat was to rehearse songs for their fall performance on Nov. 3, where they will sing with the women’s choir, Vox Femina, in Zipper Concert Hall. Choir instructor Michael Hayden, music theory teacher Mark McCormick and 32 Women’s Choir members all attended the retreat.
“The Advanced Women’s Choir at Mira Costa is the first high school choral to be asked to perform with the famous Los Angeles choir ensemble, Vox Femina, for their fall concert, ‘No Ordinary Women’,” Hayden said. “It is a huge privilege for the advanced women’s choir.”
Led by Hayden at the retreat, the singers improved their voices through vocal exercises such as ‘belladona’ or ‘sing e.’ According to choir members, their voices and pitches were all synchronized and spot on.
“Mr. Hayden and Mr. McCormick were able to show us techniques to create the perfect type of sound,” sophomore choral member Mckay Gillette said. “They know how to fix any problems we may be having, whether they be breathing, tone or pitch.”
Hayden tried to emphasize team building at the retreat because he felt that it would help the girls learn to trust each other and sing better as a group.
“We played a lot of bonding games, and this helped us become closer as a unified choir,” sophomore choral member Rhein Matlack said.
The show will begin at 8 p.m. at Zipper Concert Hall in downtown Los Angeles. Tickets are currently available for $25 and will be sold for $35 at the door.
“The upcoming concert is going to be a very professional performance that will exhibit the choir’s talent,” freshman choral member Rachel Kay said. “I am very excited to be a part of it.”
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