Lights dimmed, instruments tuned, and voices rose as the Glenbrook Festival of Music took center stage at North, carrying on the 50-year tradition of uniting choirs from South and North for an evening of classical masterpieces, Choral Director Robby Shellard said. The Glenbrook Festival of Music took place on March 8, and gave students a chance to step outside their usual repertoire and explore a broader choral experience by pairing each South choral ensemble with its North counterpart, Shellard explained.

The concert began with a combined piece, followed by performances from various groups like Beginning Treble, Intermediate Mixed, and Advanced Treble groups, Shellard said. The event then culminates with the full choir and sinfonietta — a small symphony orchestra — performing “Battle Hymn of the Republic,” a piece used to close the concert every year, Shellard added.

“The tradition we’re proud to uphold [is] the same tradition that started many years ago, the singing of the ‘Battle Hymn of the Republic,’ which ties together all of our past generations of [Glenbrook] choir,” Shellard said.

Each South choral group prepares two to five pieces to be performed with their North counterparts, offering a chance to dive deeper into a range of choral works, Shellard said. The festival’s inclusion of instrumental components, from South and North such as the Glenbrook Symphony Orchestra, allows for the performance of large-scale works by composers like Vivaldi, Bach, and
Beethoven, requiring an orchestra, Shellard explained.

“We’re always looking to create a program that is diverse for our students of repertoire that’s been selected over centuries, Shellard said. “We’ve chosen a good selection of pieces that both challenge and stimulate our students while providing them with a nice array of variety.”

In the months leading up to the festival, choirs from both schools dedicate daily class time to mastering their repertoire through sight-reading, sectional rehearsals for separate vocal parts, and full-group practices to perfect each piece, senior Naomi Lewis, South Master Singer, said. Students rehearsed with a guest director, Dr. John Hughes, the week before the festival, incorporating his distinct style and offering final adjustments, Lewis explained. With more songs than previous years, choral students faced a rewarding challenge, Lewis added.

“[Hughes] meets us for the first time and tells us how he wants it to be heard,” Lewis said. “Every year we have to learn how to sing in a different way because the director has different styles.”

The joy of meeting new people and forming friendships are especially evident through these collaborative performances, freshman Nina Sikaras, Glee Club member explained.

“[Since] it’s a combination of [North] and [South], you get to see and meet new people [and spend time] with your friends,”Sikaras said. “It’s a fun way to experience singing.”

The excitement of performing with a larger choir, where the energy is amplified as everyone comes together to make more noise, is one of the most meaningful aspects of the festival for Lewis.

“Glenbrook Festival of Music is a memory that a lot of people have past high school,” Lewis said. “[It is] something special, especially some of our songs that we sing every year- it connects us to each other.”