11 vocalists. One voice. WCHS’ new vocal group Camerata embodies this concept.
The term “Camerata” comes from the Italian root word “camera,” meaning “chamber.” As its root word suggests, Camerata is a student-led acapella group, focusing on using a classical chamber-style choir approach to vocal technique, concentrating on singing in unison with correct pitches and bright vowels, and when organizing repertoire.
In an increasingly digital society, pop music is continually on the rise as it contains catchy melodies that can be easily accessible through online music platforms. On the other hand, classical music is perceived to be more complex and abstract and is not as accessible as it is typically enjoyed live at concert halls. Therefore, many question the relevance of classical music and worry about it diminishing.
“Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, there was a classical chamber choir class at WCHS called Camerata,” WCHS sophomore and Co-President of Camerata Rachel Yang said. “WCHS Choral Director Mr. Albright said it would come back during our senior year, but we wanted to revive a chamber choir sooner.”
Taking initiative is no foreign concept to WCHS students. Despite the plethora of clubs WCHS offers, students are not discouraged from starting a new club if there is not one already that aligns with their niche passion. Yang and Clopper found them in this situation as they were aware of the acapella group “Sirens,” including soprano and alto sections, and the male acapella group “Pitch Pipes,” including tenor and base sections, but realized there was no group that was SATB, containing the full four-part harmony of soprano, alto, tenor, and base sections.
“As an SATB choir, we are inclusive to all genders,” WCHS sophomore and Co-President of Camerata Miriam Clopper said. “There is also no set part a member is assigned to sing so girls can sing tenor for one piece and soprano for the next. We are flexible and want to allow our members to experience new things.”
While speaking of experimenting with new things, Camerata does not want to limit itself solely to the classical field. Rather, they would like to utilize their creative freedom to explore other genres with a classical mindset.
“There is a lot of genre potential,” Yang said. “We will cover pop songs but take a proper choral approach to it by using techniques such as singing with tall vowels and focusing on blending instead of belting each note.”
Yang listed a few factors of what it takes to produce a good choral sound, but there are many more that the group will touch upon. To begin the year, Camerata is emphasizing on establishing good vowel work.
“We wanted to start off with something simple, so our first song only has the words ‘ba,’” Clopper said. “We meet once a week, where we learn the parts and make sure we get everything together. We also provide recordings of each part with our members so they can review.”
Camerata is off to a bright and organized start which will help them stay on track to be well-prepared for their performances.
“Our first performance will be at the WCHS Winter Choral Concert on Dec. 16,” WCHS junior and Camerata’s Social Media Manager Erin Hillman said. “We will also be performing in WCHS’ Blast production and possibly compete in competitions that come along. Our next round of auditions will be sometime next semester, so we are excited and optimistic about what we can achieve.”
