WESTFALL TOWNSHIP – The best tenors, altos, sopranos, and bass singers from across seven counties are coming together for two special concerts this weekend.
Harmonies fill the air at Delaware Valley High School. It’s the sound of this year’s District 10 PMEA Chorus.
"We all audition in a big room together, and then they take 25 people from each part and then they get us all together and we sing here for three days,” said junior Gabriella Cuevas, an Alto II.
Cuevas auditioned for two years and didn’t make the cut. Now she says taking the stage to sing this weekend is an honor.
“I'm really honestly just so blessed and honored to have this privilege,” said Cuevas.
It’s been 27 years since this school in Pike County has hosted a PMEA Festival, bringing students together from 53 different schools in seven different counties including Monroe, Carbon, Pike, and Schuylkill.
"We pull together in a very, very short time wonderful music presentation and literally within a matter of hours, we get them singing. We start polishing and refining,” said guest conductor Dr. Raymond Wise.
The entire school has helped prepare for these concerts. The business and marketing classes made banners, while computer art made the programs.
After two days of practice, the community is invited to listen in in two different concerts.
"We have a wonderful selection from a variety of genres from different time periods that will just connect with almost anyone who comes to listen to this,” said senior Rafael Alexandre, a Bass I.
These high school students are looking forward to sharing this sound.
"I was totally amazed and surprised at the quality of sound you can get from choir because when you have 200 qualified musicians on one stage, it's such a beautiful sound,” said Tenor II senior Joseph Gurkan.
Performances are Friday at 7 p.m. and Saturday at 2 p.m.