And on Sunday The Jamestown High School A Cappella Choir Vespers performance continues with its 95th year.

“Audiences look forward to the start of the Christmas Season, but also the joy of seeing young men and women joining together in song,” A Cappella Director Norm Lydell said.

The Vespers are a community tradition established in 1924 by Ebba Goranson, founder of the Jamestown High School A Cappella Choir. Each December, the JHS A Cappella performs two sacred music concerts at First Lutheran Church, featuring excerpts from major choral works and seasonal songs and carols as a way to provide a bit of cheer for the holidays. The tradition continues under Lydell and Director Emeritus Brian Bogey as accompanist.

Lydell said he was nervous during his first Vespers service. “My first Vespers service in December of 2003 was a little scary. There is a wide variety of logistical and musical challenges involved each year, and on that occasion both of our Directors Emeritus were in attendance, Brian Bogey and Donal Bube. With their blessing, friendship and support I became the director of the A Cappella Choir,” he said.

The 2019-2020 Jamestown High School A Cappella Choir. Photo by Rob Sigler Photography

Lydell said the A Cappella Choir is open to any JHS student in grades 10-12, and membership is determined by audition in January of each year. “We begin (practice) in September on the first day of classes with the singing of our Processional, “Kryrie Eleison, Christe Eleison.”

For Lydell, music is his passion. “Teaching music to students at JHS has been my life’s work. There is always a way to improve your musical performance, and new ways to share the essential elements of music. It remains to be a rewarding career path. I highly encourage it,” Lydell noted.

Choral music education has enjoyed a long, rich tradition at JHS. Goranson, who directed the choir from 1924 until her passing in 1957, founded the A Cappella Choir. Bube served as choral director from 1958-1981, Bogey moved into the director’s position in 1982 from the Jefferson Jr. High choral program. Since his retirement in 2003, Bogey continues to serve the community as conductor, educator, musician, and advocate for vocal education.

The 80-voice JHS A Cappella Choir features smaller ensembles, including the Madrigal Singers, Men of Tomorrow and Ladies of Today.

More than 200 alumni will join the choir Sunday to sing. “Alumni will serve as audience for the first half of Vespers, then perform in the pews in front of the A Cappella Choir. We will combine with over 200 alumni to sing “Kyrie,” “The First Noel,” “Carol of the Bells,” “And The Glory of the Lord,” “Hallelujah Chorus,” and “Silent Night.” In addition, the men will combine to sing “Little Innocent Lamb.”

By using iPads, Lydell said the choir also embraces technology as the iPads save rehearsal time and keep the choir very organized. “We began to use iPads two years ago. It allows us to purchase sheet music, then scan it into an electronic format suitable for the iPads that we use. Students can make notations on the iPads and store all of their music in a neatly. We no longer deal with old, tattered sheet music, broken pencils, music folders stuffed full of music, or general disarray,” Lydell said.

The director also noted that JHS students don’t use iPads in a live setting because the music is memorized for performance in front of an audience.

Past performances include the National Shrine Basilica in Washington, D.C; New York City’s St. Patrick’s Cathedral and St. Peter’s Lutheran Church; St. Michael’s Roman Catholic Cathedral in Toronto, Canada; St. Stephan’s Cathedral in Vienna, Austria; the Basilica in Innsbrook; the Cathedral in Salzburg; England’s St. Paul’s Cathedral, Westminster Cathedral and Salisbury Cathedral; St. Anne de Beaupre and Notre Dame Basilica in Quebec City, Canada; New York City’s St. John the Divine Cathedral, the Park Avenue United Methodist Church and the historic St. Peter’s Lutheran Church; Boston’s Old North Church; National Presbyterian Church, Washington; Chicago’s Queen of All Saints Basilica and Fourth Presbyterian Church; the Baltimore Basilica and the Mount Vernon Place United Methodist Church.

Lydell said the choir has participated in master classes at Harvard University, North Park University, and the University of Maryland.

The choir has performed at professional sporting events and historical sites, including the steps of the Capitol Building in Washington, the Holocaust Museum, the Kennedy Center, Arlington National Cemetery, and Fort McHenry. In December 2009, the Madrigal Singers performed with recording artist Kenny Rogers. In February 2014, the A Cappella Choir performed at Disney World in Orlando, Fla. In December 2015, the A Cappella performed with performing artist Jim Brickman. In the spring of 2016, the A Cappella toured Washington, and in 2018, the choir toured Baltimore.

And the choir, Lydell said, will travel back to Disney World at the end of December.

“This year is especially exciting,” Lydell noted. “In addition to the celebration of our 95th anniversary, the choir will be performing in the Candlelight Processional at Disney’s Epcot Center in Orlando, Fla. on Dec. 28. The A Cappella will be joined by two additional high school choruses, a professional chorus, the Voices of Liberty Disney Ensemble, a philharmonic orchestra, and guest narrator Marlee Matlin for two performances of 14 Christmas songs. This is a tremendous amount of music to prepare in addition to our annual Vespers repertoire, but the choir is working very hard on every word and every note. We thank the community for their continued support of all the music events and ensembles at Jamestown High School,” he added.

The Vespers Service will be held at 4 p.m. at First Lutheran Church, 120 Chandler St., Jamestown.