Choral festival brings young, old voices together

Echos of the song "Hallelujah" reverberated off the walls of the Seeley-Swan High School auditorium as two ensembles from Taiwan and Poland serenaded onlookers during the International Choral festival preview last week.

The festival, which is held in Missoula, previewed two of the choral groups in Seeley Lake on July 18. Nearly 100 people sat in chairs as the high-level performers belted out traditional and modern songs, each with their own special twist.

"Choral is a small but extended network all over the world," Taiwanese performer Hanz Chen said. "We are blessed to have the chance to connect with people so far away from us and see what other people are doing, while sharing some of our own techniques.

The Taiwanese delegation brough performers from age 20 to mid 40s. The 40-person ensemble performed all of their songs in Taiwanese, which Chen called "Formosa style." Some focused on animals like a jaguar, while others looked into the feeling of love and freedom.

The Polish ensemble was a youth boys group, made up of about 40 8-to-18-year-olds. The group sang traditional Polish hymns while also delving into pop and even a rap song. Twelve-year-old Franak said he was excited and happy to be in Montana for the festival.

He sang several solos throughout the night, including singing Hallelujah in English. The crowd hopped in for each chorus and made the concert feel a little larger than life.

"The end of the concert is my favorite part," Franak said. "Because people are entertained, they are cheering and they like our music."