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MPCHS choirs host first concert in chapel venue
High school choir students show off their hard work in new concert location
Southeast Iowa Union offers audio versions of articles using Instaread. Some words may be mispronounced.
MT. PLEASANT — After Mt. Pleasant Community School District officially purchased the central campus of the former Iowa Wesleyan University over winter break last school year and many months of repair, the Mt. Pleasant Community High School Choir made their debut performance in the Chapel over the weekend.
“Happy Sunday, and welcome to our first concert, and the first concert the high school gets to have in our chapel here on campus,” Vocal Music Director Makenzie Kauffman-Ho greeted the audience. “We’re so excited. All these groups have worked so hard over the fall.”
Not only did the MPCHS choirs perform in a new and improved space, but they also performed with new choirs, according to Kauffman-Ho.
“They’re all in new choirs with new people, and so coming together and learning music together is not easy,” Kauffman-Ho said. “They have all done a fabulous job and we’re so grateful we get to showcase that to you on a beautiful fall day here in our chapel.”
Kauffman-Ho explained a few new things to get used to as the MPCHS music department makes the transition to concerts at the chapel such as parking in the gravel lot south of the Howe Activity Center, behind the Harlan-Lincoln House in the Belle Center lot, and in the gravel lot on the corner of Broadway and Board then walking to the chapel. The new venue also came with an encouragement to the audience to put their phones away completely, with reassurances that MPTV-Closeup would provide video and photos shortly after the concert’s conclusion.
Additional things to keep in mind with the new venue include not bringing in food or drink and making sure to sit in the center of the sections to allow for others to find seats more easily.
The concert included a variety of musical choices for the different choirs including the mixed choir singing “Gloria” and “Everybody Wants to Rule the World.” The combined choir filled the chapel with a cappella harmonies as they sang “In My Life” by The Beatles. The chamber choir showcased varied dynamics in an eight-part song singing “Hallelujah.” The all-girls treble choir performance included the “spunky” song “Dance on My Heart.”
In addition to the audience singing the praises of the performances themselves, many also commented on the improved venue that gave them more comfortable seating than bleachers and “A great view from anywhere you were seated,” Curt Sparrow said.
Comments: AnnaMarie.Kruse@southeastiowaunion.com
