Salem, Swampscott, Marblehead High school choirs unite at traditional concert

SWAMPSCOTT – At the mere mention of the popular television show about high school singers, a few girls from the Marblehead Mixed Choir cringed.?We hate ?Glee?,” said senior Talia Lipkind. “But I could see how I would watch it if I wasn?t in Chorus.”?The annoying thing is they just break into a perfect song, and really we?ll spend like eight weeks on one little part,” added junior Abby Dempster, 17.Click to view a photo gallery.Luckily, the 11th annual Together In Harmony performance, held Sunday afternoon at Swampscott High School, was nothing like the teen soap opera whose plot centers around a national competition. Instead, it showcased Salem, Swampscott and Marblehead High Schools? individual voices and encouraged unity between three schools that are frequently pitted against each other in sports.?I think it?s very important when we get the students together to appreciate each other?s talents,” said Swampscott Dean of Students Lytania Mackey. “Usually these schools are all divided by sports so it?s really nice to just say, ?Let?s get together.?”Marblehead kicked off the concert, led by Director Amanda Roeder, and delighted the audience with choral arrangements of the West Side Story classic “Somewhere,” and a musical version of the Emily Dickinson poem, “Heart, We Will Forget Him.” Then the school?s singing groups, The Jewel Tones and Luminescence, joined up for a low-key version of Simon and Garfunkel?s “Bridge over Troubled Water.”Delia Smith, a Marblehead freshman, said the thing she enjoyed most about her first “Together In Harmony” was the wide spectrum of talents being showcased.?We?re getting to see a variety of music, and it?s fun to see how it?s different at the other schools,” Smith said.Next came Salem High School whose chamber choir started out in the aisles and worked their way to the stage, led by Director Lianne Goodwin. But it was Salem?s vocal group “WitchPitch?” that had the crowd hollering after their A Cappella rendition of U2?s Vertigo and accompanying choreography.?I grew up with a really strong music department and I think it?s made me a music lover for life,” said Joyce Alla, who came to see her freshman daughter Cassidy perform in the Marblehead Treble Choir. “An appreciation for music lasts a lifetime.”Swampscott kept up the trend of more contemporary fare after intermission, performing songs by British pop star Adele, as well as classics by Sting and The Beatles.The event culminated with the schools? combined choruses n about 150 singers in all?belting out the finale number, a gospel song called “Ain?t-A That Good News,” which garnered the singers a standing ovation.The schools had rehearsed as a group only once, about an hour before show time.?We were just used to doing it with our choir, so it was nice to hear that big, full sound,” said Olivia Foley, a Marblehead junior.Swampscott dad Bill Maher, whose son played drums during Swampscott?s performance said events like Together in Harmony are more important than ever in an era where music programs are the first to go during budget cuts.?I?ve learned a lot about what music means from watching [my son] at these performances,” said. “It?s really created an identity for him.”Taylor Provost can be reached at [email protected].