The National Association of Music Merchants announced in May that the
Brecksville-Broadview Heights City School District in Ohio was one of 935 recipients of this year’s “Best Communities for Music Education” awards.
The Brecksville-Broadview Heights High School Choir will join Hudson and Bay Village High Schools for a special performance at Cleveland’s Severance Hall on Thursday, October 16, at 7:30pm. The three choirs will present Carmina Burana by Carl Orff, one of the most famous choral works of the 20th century.
Written in the 1930s, Orff’s Carmina Burana is based on medieval poetry that explores fate, fortune, and the cycles of life. Its opening movement, “O Fortuna,” with its thunderous rhythms and dramatic choral writing, has become a cultural touchstone, often heard in films, commercials, and sporting events.
Choir director Emily Garlock told Michael Andrasi for the school’s student newspaper, “The poetry talks about how our lives are determined by the fates. No matter whether we are rich or poor, old or young, we are all the same and we should make the most of our time here on earth.”
Preparing the piece is no small task, as students must navigate multiple languages and intricate vocal parts. But Ms Garlock says the challenge is part of what makes it meaningful: “Our students here are incredibly talented, and I think they really like a challenge. It’s so much work, but they excel every year.”
The venue itself adds to the occasion. Severance Hall, built in the 1930s, is the home of the world-renowned Cleveland Orchestra. Its architecture and ornamentation reflect the elegance of the era, and its main Mandel Concert Hall seats 2,000, making it one of the region’s premier stages for classical music.
The concert comes on the heels of another recognition for Brecksville-Broadview Heights Schools: in May, the district was named one of the Best Communities for Music Education by the National Association of Music Merchants. The award, given to 935 districts nationwide this year, honors schools that demonstrate outstanding commitment to music instruction.
For BBHHS students, the combination of recognition and performance at Severance Hall highlights the strength of their music program and provides audiences with the opportunity to experience a masterwork of the choral tradition in a historic setting.