Director Ron Sayer, center, and members of the Marshall Community Chorus who performed as part of the Community and Church Honor Choir in Kansas City, including Andrew Bridges, Rick Schulenberg, Taylor Scarff, Celia Drake, Melody Dieking, Tempe McGlaughlin, Judy Boyd, Linda McDaniel, Suzanne Farrell, Suzie Stallings, Vicki Mitchell, Tara Vogelsmeier, Kevin Kellogg, Julie Butner and Donna Clutter. (Contributed photo) [Click to enlarge]

Several members of the Marshall Community Chorus recently had the opportunity to perform under the direction of one of America's leading choral conductors and composers.

The Marshall singers performed as part of the Community and Church Honor Choir of the Southwestern division of the American Choral Directors Association (SWACDA) at the association's bi-annual convention in Kansas City.

The SWACDA holds divisional conventions every two years in various locations in the southwestern region of the United States. During each convention, a number of graded and collegiate honor choirs meet to rehearse and perform for the convention attendees.

This year's convention saw over 4,000 singers, teachers and spouses gather for three days of seminars and concerts.

The honor choirs provide an enrichment opportunity for choral development on a level much more challenging than in the choristers normal choir experience. Challenging literature, directed by leading choral authorities, is chosen to help choristers enhance and develop their singing skills.

For the first time at a SWACDA convention, an honor choir assembled from church and community choir singers from seven states met to rehearse and perform for the convention. Participants were chosen from almost 200 applicants from Missouri, Kansas, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Texas, Colorado and New Mexico.

Chosen from the Marshall Community Chorus were members Julie Butner, Vicki Mitchell, Linda McDaniel, Judy Boyd, Donna Clutter, Celia Drake, Tempe McGlaughlin, Kevin Kellogg, Melody Dieking, Suzie Stallings, Tara Vogelsmeier, Suzanne Farrell, Rick Schulenberg, Taylor Scarff and Andrew Bridges.

The director of the honor choir was Mack Wilberg, noted composer and conductor and interim director of the 350 voice Mormon Tabernacle Choir in Salt Lake City.

Wilberg is a former professor of music at Brigham Young University, where his choirs recorded numerous recordings and television specials featuring American Music. PBS often runs these specials at Thanksgiving and Christmas.

Wilberg can also be seen directing the Mormon Tabernacle Choir on Sunday mornings during their weekly "Music and the Spoken Word" broadcasts.

The honor choir performed Friday, Feb. 22, before a packed house at Grace and Holy Trinity Cathedral in Kansas City. The performance featured music by traditional European composers as well as arrangements of hymn tunes and folksongs by Wilberg. The 140 voice choir was accompanied by brass ensemble, percussion, dual pianos and organ.

The coordinators for the honor choir were Bryan Taylor, SWACDA Church Choir Repertoire and Standards Chair, and Ron Sayer of Marshall, SWACDA Community Choir Repertoire and Standards Chair. Sayer also serves on the National Committee for Community Choirs of American Choral Directors Association.