HAYESVILLE — “What an honor to join our voices with these other talented choirs and a professional orchestra in celebration of Our Father,” said a member of Immaculate Heart of Mary Mission’s choir after their recent performance at Carnegie Hall in Manhattan. “What a once-in-a-lifetime experience!”
Ten members of the community choir of Immaculate Heart of Mary Mission performed “Our Father: A Journey through the Lord’s Prayer” June 17. They were among 225 members of the Distinguished Concerts International New York ensemble, which sang with a 50-member Distinguished Concerts Orchestra.
“Our Father,” which has nine pieces, was the first half of the June 17 concert. The composition was written by choral musician Pepper Choplin, a full-time composer, conductor and humorist from Greensboro, who led two four-hour rehearsals in the two days before the performance. Choplin seamlessly united the voices from choirs from as far away as Washington state and Brazil.
So how is it that the small choir from IHM in tiny Hayesville got to perform in New York City? Through the power of social media! In the spring of 2017, Cody C. Killian, parish music director, led the choir in another of Choplin’s compositions, a Lenten Cantata titled “Touch the Robe.” A Facebook posting of that performance made its way to Maestro Choplin and DCINY, who reached out to Killian via email.
At first, the choir members thought it was an email scam. But after a little research, they realized this unique opportunity was real. After planning for more than a year and months of practice, two sopranos, four altos, two tenors and two bases from IHM’s choir headed out for the Big Apple.
There for five days, choir members visited the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island, the 9/11 Memorial, attended Mass at St. Patrick’s Cathedral, took in a few Broadway plays and enjoyed the international cuisine available in Manhattan.
But several choir members said their fondest memory was the concert. If singing in iconic Carnegie Hall with its incredible acoustics weren’t enough, gaining greater insight to the Lord’s Prayer through Choplin’s words and music ensures they will never recite the prayer the same way again.
Pictured in front of the iconic Carnegie Hall before their June 17 performance are (from left) Victoria Ewing Ware, Cameron LeJeune, Dolores Libby, Carli Kidd LeJeune, Cody Killian, Gail Dufresne, Jackie Wilson, Joseph Dufresne, Rebecca Robinson and Mark March.
— Victoria Ewing Ware, correspondent