The Catholic Standard and Times

Chester County voices resonate throughout Italy

By NADIA POZO
CS&T Staff Writer

Marge Campbell, the conductor and director of Chester County Voices Abroad, is happy to talk about a particularly moving moment during the choir’s most recent tour in Italy.

The choir was singing Guilio Caccini’s Ave Maria — 44 voices in perfect harmony, rising in the greatest Marian basilica, the Basilica of St. Mary Major in Rome. Listening was Archbishop John Foley, the native of Philadelphia (and former editor of The Catholic Standard & Times) who is now president of the Pontifical Council for Communication.

The Chester County Voices Abroad choir, which this year was made up of mostly Bishop Shanahan High School students, evoked admiration from the Archbishop as it sang for the vigil Liturgy of the Solemnity of SS. Peter and Paul. It was part of the choir’s two-week singing trip to Italy. The nonprofit organization, which promotes cultural exchange through music, has traveled to 15 European countries since it was founded 13 years ago.

“We want to show the world that American teens do excel, despite misconceptions,” Campbell said.

“We also want to teach our students that they can touch lives with their talents,” she said.

And, clearly, the students have done so.

Performing in concerts at the Basilica of St. Peter at the Vatican, the Basilica of St. Mark in Venice, and the Basilica of St. Francis in Assisi, to name a few, the students have been roundly praised by people who have heard their performances — including Archbishop Foley who called their singing “magnificent.”

The choir’s repertoire of sacred music includes some traditional pieces, such as Salve Regina and O Christe Domine Jesu, and also some unique interpretations of old favorites, including Amazing Grace.

“Europeans love American Spirituals, so we did a choral reflection on Amazing Grace,” Campbell said. “Kyrie Eleison was woven over Amazing Grace.”

Chanting established the dramatic mood for extraordinary performances that inspired the Italian audiences, as well the 35 parents and grandparents who accompanied the choir on its travels.

“It was an extraordinary choir,” Campbell said. “Every choir is selected [according to] the repertoire. This year, the sound was a very heavy sound, with 24 pieces, and it happened to be almost exclusively students from Shanahan.”

That may have been because the Shanahan students are more aware of the program. Campbell served as Bishop Shanahan’s music director for 25 years before her recent retirement. She continues to work as the school’s conductor, as well as the conductor for Chester County Voices Abroad.

In the past, choirs included students from as many as 13 schools.

The students are selected after extensive auditions. They range in age from 15 to 20, and come from Chester County and the surrounding counties of Philadelphia.

Shanahan senior Ryann Dillon, who has traveled with the choir on its last three trips, is an example of the type of students who make the cut.

“I love music, and I’ve been signing since I was 5,”she said. “I want to share it with others, and this is the perfect way to do it — and show what American teens can do.”

The nonprofit program offers fundraising options and grants for students who need additional financial aid to take the trip.
Next year, the choir will tour France. Auditions will begin in early October.

To find out more about auditions, and the choir’s trip to France, call Campbell at (610) 436-5104.

Chester County voices resonate throughout Italy

By NADIA POZO
CS&T Staff Writer