Galloway, N.J. – The walls of Stockton University’s Performing Arts Center shook as 11 local high school choirs took over the mainstage for Stockton’s annual High School Choral Day on Monday, March 10.

Organized by the School of Arts & Humanities, the annual event has brought together hundreds of high school students to showcase all they have learned and worked on in their respective choirs for over 20 years. 

The participating choirs were eclectic. They ranged from small groups, such as Woodbury Junior and Senior high school’s eight singers, to large, like Southern Regional High School’s choir of more than 60 students. Some were all in concert black, while others sported jeans and letterman jackets emblazoned with their school colors. 

Julie-Ann Green, a faculty member for both Stockton and Chartertech High School for the Performing Arts in Somers Point, has been a part of the program since its early beginnings and has high praise for it. 

“One of the great things about today is that these high school students are getting a chance to see choirs with different experiences, and it also bridges the gap and shows them what happens after high school with two of our current Stockton students performing solos for them,” Green said.

Although a panel of judges provides critiques for the students, Choral Day is meant to encourage their growth as performers rather than compete with each other.

When the student singers weren’t on stage belting spellbinding hymns or timeless classics, they were in the audience cheering for one another. Choruses of “yeses” and “oohs” frequently came from the crowd when a note was sung to perfection or even when a student was visibly nervous on stage.

This is the kind of support and encouragement that Richard Tinsley, a faculty member at Egg Harbor Township High School, believes is a vital part of the program.

“It’s a great way for students to perform and see other schools perform without the rigor and stress of an overly dressy and serious performance,” Tinsley said. “It helps all of us – we’ll see something that we’ve never done, or they’ll see something that they’ve never done, and, the next thing you know, the students are coming back to school motivated.” 

– Story by Loukaia Taylor

– Photos by Lizzie Nealis

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