N. Lehigh to host Lehigh County Honors Choir Festival on Saturday

Northern Lehigh High School will host the Lehigh County Honors Choir Festival.

The concert will take place at 2 p.m. Saturday in the high school auditorium. The cost is $5 for adults and $3 for students and senior citizens.

James Schnyderite, high school choir director, said this year’s concert will feature about 70 students from six Lehigh County schools: Northern Lehigh, Salisbury, Whitehall-Coplay, William Allen, Dieruff and Catasauqua.

Schnyderite said the choir directors each choose a repertoire to perform with the students.

“We rehearse during the school day two times, then have a concert,” Schnyderite said. “This is a short time to prepare a concert of this magnitude, which highlights the ability of the students who are involved.”

Schnyderite said this year’s concert will feature eight selections that “show a great diversity in style.” He said it will include traditional spirituals, festival standards, pop hits and an a cappella arrangement by a composer.

He said the choir had its first rehearsal last Friday at Northern Lehigh, and that it “went very well.”

At the first rehearsal, Schnyderite said each director got about 30-45 minutes to work in sectionals on their selection, with the goal of introducing the song to the students.

“It’s a lot of information for these young musicians to take it,” he said.

Northern Lehigh students include seniors Emily Bachman, Shayla Smith, and Briana Strohl; juniors Cole Cheesbrough and Daniel Rex; sophomores Olivia Bailey, Claudia Cozzi, Trent Herman, Francine Ohlson, Maggie Reitz, and Paige Zellner; and freshmen Brooke Delancey and Owen Levan-Uhler.