Chorus is known to be one of the most time-intensive and taxing extracurricular activities on Choate’s campus. Both Festival and Chamber Chorus hold lengthy rehearsals throughout the school week, which sometimes limits free time in students’ schedules.
Festival Chorus meets from 7:30 p.m. to 8:15 p.m. on Mondays and Thursdays. Chamber Chorus holds rehearsals from 8:15 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. on Mondays and Thursdays, as well as from 7:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. on Wednesdays.
Alice Volfson ’19, an experienced member of Chamber Chorus, stressed the importance of the connections she has made in the group: “This is my third year in [chorus]. It’s a community, a place where I could take time off from other things and really think about the music we’re singing. I’ve seen myself and other people grow up together. Some of my closest friends are in chorus. They were sophomores, and the next thing you know, they’re seniors!”
Volfson continued, sharing her favorite part of the activity: “It’s amazing how much the students influence what we’re singing. To us, Ms. Kegel [the group’s conductor] is much less of a hovering figure of power. She’s just a friend, so she’ll regularly ask us, ‘Do you like this?’ and ‘What would you like to sing in the future?’. She even lets us conduct the rehearsals sometimes, and it’s such a community effort.”
For Shraya Poetti ’19, another member, chorus is a time to relax and disconnect from the day: “I really like chorus, I really do, especially when we’re in the chapel. It sounds cliche, but it’s such an escape from everything, seeing most of these people you hadn’t seen before or don’t have classes with. We’re from different grades and come from different sports and classes, and we all just go into the chapel and do something that we all love to do and we’re all so passionate about. There is such a beautiful vibe.”
Poetti added, “It’s one of my favorite things. I even wrote about it in my college counseling survey. There was a question that asked, ‘What is your favorite place on campus?’ I said the chapel, not because I’m religious, but just because Chamber Chorus meets there. It’s an amazing family.”
Despite the strong sense of family and community in the chorus programs, however, the rigorous time commitment remains a heavy burden on the students.
Scott Romeyn ’18, a senior in the group, said, “It takes away from studying time. Chorus used to be an honors course and it’s not anymore. It was nice to have the honors title since it’s four hours a week, not counting the time spent singing and practicing outside of rehearsals. He continued, “Also, chorus is after all other activities in the day. You get to chorus and you’re already burnt out from classes or sports or other activities. There’s even days where the time I have to be at chorus overlapped with when I want to be eating, which is tough.”
Poetti shared a similar sentiment towards the chorus schedule: “The worst part is probably the time — how long it is. Obviously, we’re an ensemble, we have to rehearse, we have repertoire to learn by a certain day. We get out at 9:00 p.m. I’m a day student and a junior, so I have lots of work to do all the time. But chorus is something I’m so passionate about, so I’ve been able to mold my schedule for it and I’m willing to because I care so much about it. I understand why we spend [so much time], and it’s definitely worth it.”
In addition to less free time and added stress, students in the chorus program are often required to skip special programs in order to attend rehearsals. On this, Volfson said, “It’s very frustrating because I had to miss the Stevenson lecture. HPRSS students were required to attend and I take history, so my teacher required me to take it. But Ms. Kegel and the administration ultimately decided that rehearsals were more important.”
Ultimately, the pros outweigh the cons for the students in chorus. Despite exhausting rehearsals and conflicts with academic life, chorus remains an incredible program at Choate. The students’ proximity to one another and commitment to the group creates an environment unique to this activity as well as a safe space on campus.
