Etowah’s annual fall chorus performance ended on a high note. Their fall concert, An Evening at the Opera, consisted of songs in Russian, Italian, and English. The Vienna Opera House inspired chorus director Will Hall on a trip the chorus took over the summer. 

“We went and sang in the Vienna music gardens near the Vienna Opera House,” Daytona Parks, senior, said. 

Professional opera singers joined the Etowah chorus to sing the final song. Justin Stolz and Tiffany Wharton, members of the Atlanta Opera, worked with Hall and his students to produce the finale. A contact at the Atlanta Opera put Hall in touch with them. 

“They were excited that a high school was doing opera because that’s their profession,” Hall said. 

Stolz and Wharton practiced with Etowah’s chorus on the day of the concert. For many chorus members, the professional artists provided a unique experience. 

“Being able to sing with the resident singer for the Atlanta Opera Company was a once-in-a-lifetime experience,” Duke Jenkins, sophomore, said. 

Elite chorus member Kareena Spratt enriched the concert without making a sound. For Spratt’s Senior Capstone, she is learning American Sign Language (ASL) and signed the song “There Will Be Rest.” 

“Taking the time to translate the men’s song into ASL gave me a better understanding of various aspects of the language,” Spratt said. 

Etowah’s chorus transformed the auditorium into An Evening at the Opera. Come see Etowah’s chorus perform their winter concert later this year.