The Southern California Vocal Association’s Choral Festival was held on March 15 at the Rio Hondo’s Wray theatre. The event was hosted by Rio Hondo College Choirs, more specifically, the chamber singers

This is the first year that Rio Hondo has hosted a SCVA festival. The competition was directed by Kellori Dower, Rio Hondo’s director of choral and vocal music.

The festival featured beginner and intermediate choir groups from the following high schools: Arnold O. Beckman, Downey, Millikan, Pioneer, Rowland, Troy, El Monte and Montebello.

There was a diverse range of vocal music styles sung by the groups, from the classic concert choir featured by Millikan and Pioneer high schools to the Aeolian chorale style by El Monte High School. A concert choir generally has the largest ensemble cast and depending on the tone of the song, the singers have to stand still or move along with the beat of the music. The Aeolian chorale is a mixture of beginning and experienced vocalists.

Another interestingly chosen style of singing was Beckman High School’s Bel Canto, meaning beautiful singing, in which the singer’s vocals must be flexible and sung smoothly throughout the song delivering high and low notes in a way so that they blend and are even.

The students are not only scored based on how well they perform their chosen styles, but also on their individual posture, breath support and vocal tone in relation to the song. As a whole, they are further judged on synchronization, how well their voices blend uniformly, and whether or not they illuminate the meaning of the song based on their rhythm and delivery.

The level of scrutiny goes as specific as to how well they enunciate and shape their vowels and consonants.

In terms of physical expression, they are judged on how well their faces reflect the tone of the song and if any individual singer distracts the audience from the group as a whole. Even when they are off-stage, their professionalism and decorum are noted.

At the conclusion of the festival, Dower encouraged the choir groups, many which consisted of seniors in high school, to attend Rio Hondo and take advantage of the college’s many vocal courses, including chamber singers, concert singers, beginning class voice, applied music and Spring 2017 classes on gospel choir and rap music. Rio Hondo also offers music-related history course of genres like jazz, rock and roll, and the fundamentals of music.

Interested parties can find more information about Rio’s choral and vocal music at www.riosings.weebly.com. Keep up with the group on Twitter at Rio_Sings.