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They�ll sing at Mormon Tabernacle Mail Tribune / Bob Pennell South Medford High School choir director Andrea Brock and 50 of her choral students will be traveling to Salt Lake City in April to sing at the Mormon Tabernacle. By DAMIAN MANN The voices of 50 South Medford High School choral students will fill the Mormon Tabernacle in Salt Lake City come April, when they will join 27 schools from throughout the United States as part of the 10th annual Intermountain Choral-Fest. If performing in one of the world�s most renowned venues weren�t enough pressure, the 50 students have been chosen to be the "anchor choir" for the event � meaning they have to become an authority on seven gospel tunes to help 200 other students who will be in their choral group. Fund-raising concert scheduled for March 8 To raise money for the choral event in Salt Lake City, students at South Medford High School will hold a benefit concert at 7 p.m. Thursday, March 8, in the school�s auditorium. Proceeds from the concert will help pay for travel expenses for the 50 choir members. The concert choir, chamber choir, jazz choir and chorale will all perform at the event. Admission is $5, $3 for students and seniors and $15 for a family. For more information, or to submit donations, call choir director Andrea Brock at 776-8661, or e-mail: [email protected] To fulfill this musical dream, the choral students are going to have a lot of real-world work ahead of them. "We have to be very solid, very sure of what we�re doing," said 16-year-old Patrick Bergin. "The main thing we need to focus on is to focus." Since the songs are African-American spirituals, the students admit they have a challenge ahead of them, especially blending their styles with other singers. "It�s definitely going to be interesting to see how others interpret the music," admits Bergin. Bergin and his fellow students will no longer be a single choral unit. Instead, they will be dispersed among 250 singers, led by noted conductor Moses Hogan. There will be four groups of singers performing at the event for a combined total of 1,000 students. Although choir director Andrea Brock will have spent about three months training her choir students, they will have just a few days to learn what their new director expects of them. "It�s going to be a little bit of choir boot camp right off the bat," said Brock. "They will have a head conductor there who will whip them into shape. My job is mostly to help them study the seven pieces." Brock believes the experience will be an eye-opener for her students. "I don�t think they know what they�re in for." The 50 students, who will each pay about $500 for the trip, will stay in Salt Lake City April 26-29, performing on the 28th. "I�m pretty nervous," said Brock. "Actually I�m more excited than nervous." She is also worried. Every time there is a big event like this, there is so much stress that somebody gets injured or sick. "I�ve ended up in the emergency room before," she said. And it will also be an emotional time for Brock, especially once it�s all over. After the students have returned home, Brock will be able to finally relax. "I usually come home and sit on the couch and cry for an hour," she said. But the rewards are many, she added. One year, her students sang in Golden Gate Park in San Francisco. While touring the basement of Alcatraz Prison, her students gave an impromptu performance. "They sang �Freedom,� which was very appropriate," she recalled. Brock is hoping to "sneak in" to the tabernacle with her students to perform one song as a group. "That would be wonderful," she said. For Erin Stephenson, 17, the trip to Salt Lake City also will be something of a homecoming, since she was born there and has visited the tabernacle. "I think it�s going to be so exciting," she said. "I feel honored we were picked." But being the "anchor choir" definitely puts the pressure on her classmates. "We know our pieces," said the senior. "But we don�t have the feel and musicality yet. We definitely need the two months to practice." Reach reporter Damian Mann at 776-4476, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.