Combined choirs showcased their talents during the Oct. 10 performance. Photo courtesy

YUBA CITY, CA (MPG) - As Yuba City High School Choir director Kathryn Campbell stated, singing is something you can do for your whole life. 

“You might not be able to play football when you are 50 or 60 years old but you can still sing,” Campbell said.

This philosophy was evident Oct. 10, when more than 100 Yuba City Unified School District choir students in grades 6 to12 combined with about 30 members of a Yuba City High School alumni choir to perform for a packed house at Andros Karperos School in Yuba City.  In total, there were participants from six different decades who joined together in song. 

This concert was organized by Yuba City Unified School District choir teachers Kathryn Campbell, Kelly Cunningham, David Harris and Karla Hyatt. The Yuba City Unified School District choir students had been practicing their music at their own schools for the last six weeks before finally joining together for a combined rehearsal on the morning of Oct. 10, leading up to the concert that night.  

The program began with the combined sixth- to 12th-grade students singing in a variety of musical styles, including an American folk song, a contemporary song with the Latin title of “Cantate Hodie,” and another contrasting and exuberant song sung in Swahili. The choir students from both high schools then combined to perform a couple of selections on their own in which they demonstrated their ability to sing harmony in multiple parts with lyricism and energy. 

Following the high school students, Campbell invited the special Yuba City High School Alumni Choir to perform. As they were taking their places, Campbell talked with the students about how special it is to be part of a choir and how students can continue singing for the rest of their lives. 

She also mentioned that many professional pop, rock, Broadway and opera singers often get their first vocal experiences singing in their school choirs. As the alumni choir sang, the students, along with the rest of the audience, listened intently as these mature voices filled the auditorium with music that many of the audience had never heard before. Their harmonies, expression, balance and diction were of a quality that one might hear from a professional chorale group. 

Choir teacher David Harris conducts the choir as they perform on Oct. 10. Photo courtesy

The alumni choir was also directed by special guest conductor Linda Robinson, recently retired Yuba City High School Choir director, and had Dean Estabrook, also a retired Yuba City High School Choir director, singing in the choir. Campbell also pointed out that all four current Yuba City Unified School District choir teachers are also Yuba City High School Choir alumni.  

The concert concluded with a combined group of all performers singing “The Lion Sleeps Tonight.” Families and students alike had smiles on their faces during this final number as the choir members and the audience moved with the music.  Afterward, there was great pride seen on the faces of the performers and their families. 

“Music has the ability to bring people together,” stated Karla Hyatt, choir director at AK School. “It was inspirational to have the alumni choir join the students and be able to share their love of choral music with the next generation of singers in our community.”