ARHS Hurricane Singers Take All at WGBY’s Together in Song

On Sunday, April 22, 2012, Amherst Regional High School’s all-female choral group won the overall best ensemble award at the second series of WGBY-TV’s Together in Song after singing four pieces in a live performance at the Paramount Theater in Springfield, MA. The series showcases studio performances by forty-four of western New England’s best children’s, high school, college, and adult choirs, including the UMass Chorale and the Manchester Silk City Chorus.

After the group performed on live TV on Saturday afternoon and evening, a distinguished advisory panel selected them as the best of the four finalists in the secondary school category. They were invited to perform again on Sunday, and public then voted them as the winner through text messages. The Hurricane Singers performed the majority of the songs a cappella, but on Saturday night, they were accompanied by pianist Mark Gionfriddo, head of the jazz program at Mount Holyoke College.

The Hurricane Singers ensemble, whose work spans many genres, is led by Anita Cooper and consists of twenty-eight girls in grades ten through twelve. In addition to winning the Together in Song competition this year, the Hurricane Singers placed as semi-finalists in the first season of the series. The Hurricanes also won a Silver Medal (Excellent Rating) at the 2012 MICCA competition in March.

The group’s next concert is Thursday, May 31st at 7:30 p.m. in the ARHS auditorium. All concerts are free and open to the public. Additionally, one of their winning WGBY performances can be viewed at: http://togetherinsong.wgby.org/2012/03/hurricane-singers/