Keene State College hosts annual Cantate! High School Choral Festival at the Redfern Center
High school students from New Hampshire and Connecticut traveled to Keene recently to participate in the 12th annual Cantate! High School Choral Festival, held at Keene State College’s Redfern Arts Center Alumni Recital Hall.
Students performed on stage or participated remotely.
The festival began with a large-group warmup led by Dr. Daniel Carberg, Keene State’s coordinator of vocal studies. Then, each choir performed one selection. The performances were followed by a feedback clinic with one of Keene State’s voice faculty clinicians: Dr. Carberg, Professor Morgan Bothwell, and Dr. Sandra Howard.
Members of the Keene State Concert Choir, Vocal Consort, and Chamber Singers also performed as part of the choral exchange, which culminated with a question-and-answer session focused on college experiences and music-making.
“I was so impressed by the high school singers’ ability to mold their choral sound in response to the clinics led by the Keene State voice faculty,” Dr. Howard said. “Our visiting high school singers sang with such grace, expression, and musical intelligence. It was a great day of music-making!”
The participating choirs and directors were:
- Concord High School, Brin Adams Cowette, Keene State ’11
- ConVal Regional High School, Brian Moore, who is also a music education cooperating teacher
- Fall Mountain Regional High School, Erin Savoy
- Middletown High School, Stephanie Zak
For more information about joining next year’s Cantate!, please contact Dr. Sandra Howard at 603-358-2344 or by email at showard1@keene.edu.
Learn more about Keene State’s music program, which offers five music degrees and a music minor.
