The Chamber Singers were selected as one of five high school choirs from hundreds of choirs in the western United States to perform a concert for the Western Division Conference of the American Choral Director’s Association Feb. 27.

The performance was held at the First United Methodist Church in Pasadena.

This year’s Chamber Singers earned their position in the conference after submitting a performance of “Nunc Dimittis” in St. Saviour’s Chapel.
“Only a handful of ensembles from California, Hawaii, Nevada, Arizona and Utah are selected among hundreds who audition, and the competition at the high school level is absolutely fierce,” performing arts teacher Rodger Guerrero informed his students in an e-mail.

The students performed a 25-minute piece under the direction of Guerrero.
This was the third time the Chamber Singers were chosen to perform at the Western Division Conference in the past 15 years.

The concert began with a performance of “Hosanna” arranged by Hillsong United and ended with “Soldier Soldier,” an 18th century folk song composed during the American Revolution.

A total of eight pieces were presented to the audience of more than 1,200 choral directors.

“I think it went well, because in the performance we weren’t worried about being too technical, which could lead to a downfall,” Taylor Jones ’18 said. “I think it was good that we got caught up in more of the emotional side, so we had to sacrifice a couple details for the sake of the music.”