Lauren Scharf directs the JHS A Cappella Choir Madrigal Singers socially distanced in the high school auditorium on Wednesday afternoon. The choir will present five pieces in a virtual concert that will be available on the Jamestown Public Schools’ website on Dec. 21. P-J photos by Cameron Hurst

When an influenza outbreak led to the declaration of a global pandemic in 1918, Ebba Goranson was still two years away from joining the faculty at Jamestown High School as a choral and orchestra teacher.

Four years after that, she acted on an idea, merging the men’s and women’s choral ensembles to form the A Cappella Choir in in 1924 which has, for the last 95 Christmas seasons, processed and recessed from an area sanctuary, candle-in-hand and dressed in ecumenical robes, singing sacred music of the season during its annual Vespers service.

Another tradition lost during the second global pandemic in the last century, the 96th A Cappella Choir will not have that same opportunity during the 2020 Christmas season — at least not in the traditional way.

Thanks to choir directors, past and present, and a few good community friends, the choir will sing in a new way this season.

“It is a great disappointment that the A Cappella Choir will be unable to perform their annual Vespers services this December at First Lutheran Church, however, myself and the students felt very strongly that the A Cappella Vespers is especially needed this year, so we came up with some new ways to spread joy to our local community,” said Lauren Scharf, who was appointed as the choir’s fifth director over the summer.

The halls of Jamestown High School outside of the choir room highlight the history of the A Cappella Choir, founded in 1924 by Ebba Goranson.

Scharf said a mini-concert will be presented virtually Dec. 21 on the district’s website jpsny.org. The performance will be highlighted by the choir’s staple “Kyrie Christe, Kyrie Eleison” processional, performed at each Vespers since 1924. The choir’s Men of Tomorrow will perform a piece called “Whisper, Whisper” while the Ladies of Today will perform “Remembering Decembers” by PINKZEBRA. Madrigal Singers, the choir’s audition-only group, meanwhile will present “Glow” by Grammy Award-winning composer Eric Whitacre as well as its traditional recessional “Silent Night.”

Rehearsing with the 75-voice choir, composed of students in 10th through 12th grades who just began attending classes in person earlier this week, has been a challenge.

“Since the beginning of September, students have bene meeting with me via Zoom in small sectional groups,” she said, noting that the groups are made up of 8 to 10 kids per section. “It gives us the chance to work specifically on the music of their voice part.”

Scharf said the program has been aided by the introduction of a new music software program called MusicFirst, which allows students to record themselves singing their voice part over their accompaniment track and transfer it into an audio file.

“We’ve been teaching them that music in the sectional,” she said.

The final product will be recorded over the next week in small groups in the high school auditorium, thanks to the help of longtime audio and visual specialist Ed Tomassini. And while COVID-19 restrictions have not allowed for the distribution and fitting of the choir’s traditional red and cream robes, red polos will be worn instead.

“I wish that we could have the entire group come together. … But at this point, if we’re going to be seen, I want to make sure we’re going to be seen practicing in a safe, responsible way especially with everything going on right now,” Scharf said, noting that the restrictions have been hard on students who use the choir’s rehearsal as a release from the stress of school.

“A Cappella was a high point of their day,” she said. “Unfortunately they’re in a situation where they can’t experience in that way and it’s become more challenging. That’s been tough. We’ve suffered a few students dropping the program and hopefully they do come back and we do see that attendance and the rate come back up once things are back to normal.”

At the same time, the choir’s rich history will also be honored over the airwaves of WJTN and Media One Radio Group, thanks to local broadcaster Dennis Webster, who always broadcasts the Vespers service on Christmas Eve.

Scharf, along with former directors Norman Lydell and Brian Bogey, will also host two radio programs with Webster that will highlight music compiled from past A Cappella Vespers that will air on Sunday, Dec. 13 and Sunday, Dec. 20, both at 4 p.m. — the usual time of the service. The 2019 Vespers service will also be aired on Christmas Eve.

“(Webster) is such an avid supporter of our programs and always has been,” Scharf said. “He approached me, knowing there wouldn’t be a 2020 Vespers to air and asked if we could broadcast some of the older stuff and we are so thrilled to do this.”

“It’s really interesting because you’re getting the perspective of two emeritus directors and my perspective,” she said. “I’ve seen the program, I’ve participated within the program. Last year I spent basically October to the beginning of December working with a friend of mine, Jon Bell, to digitize the entire archive of albums, tapes and CDs and turn them into MP3s so that we can reference them in the future.”

And while the season will look different, Scharf believes the program — with a history that has outlasted the Great Depression, World War II, conflicts in Korea and Vietnam, and attacks on Sept. 11, 2001 – will persevere beyond what has been a difficult year.

“It’s a true testament to the program in a way,” she said. “If it can survive this and the A Cappella Choir can persevere through this tumultuous time then I don’t think there’s an end in sight. The students who are involved really embrace this program and I know the community embraces this program so if we can get through this, I think there’s a long prosperous future for this program.”