Singing Spartans Rise to the Challenge

By Jon Crawford, OHS Torch Reporter

On March 3, the Olympia High School choir performed, in the auditorium, the masterwork “Mass in G” which was written 200 years ago by an Austrian composer named Franz Schubert.

Schubert's Mass is performed at a college level and is considered vocally and harmonically demanding. Choir director Debbie Aurelius-Muir, however, said she believed the students could rise to the challenge.

By performing this masterwork, the choir hoped to inspire the audience with the high level of musicianship. The High School choir rose to the challenge and performed this difficult masterwork that has been mostly performed by professionals.

“The sound it creates takes you back to the time period it was created,” said Senior choir member Doug Stribling.

Doug said that he thought this masterwork had a wide range of emotions which made it compelling to the audience. The pieces ranged from hopeless to joyous.

Mrs. AM  was pleased by the performance by her choir, “I was absolutely blown away by the level of performance.” Mrs. AM said she was absolutely amazed by the performance. Everyone knew their part and knew exactly what to do every time.

The choir was not scared to take on the challenge of trying to learn this masterwork. When the time for the performance came, the students had no trouble standing up to the challenge.