On Oct. 25, 2013, four students from Bel Air High School’s Counterpoints Choir had the opportunity to participate in the Towson University High School Choral Festival.

Terri Mathews, the choral director at BAHS, chose one bass, one tenor, one alto, and one soprano to represent Bel Air at the Towson University High School Choral Festival. This year, Noah Courtney, Chris Buelow, Katie Allison, and Maddie Ritchey attended the festival with over twenty six schools, eight of them in Harford County, and one as far as North Carolina.

The day started when the Bobcats arrived in Towson around 8:00 a.m. for registration in the Kaplan Hall where the students stayed for the rest of the day. The conductor for the Festival this year was Mr. Arian Khaefi, an assistant professor at Towson.   Before coming to Towson, he served as director of choral activities for a number of successful choral music programs, including Malibu High School and Emerson Middle School.

The students were excited to find and meet other students with similar interests and talents. junior Katie Allison was thinking, “I want to meet new people, and create new friendships.”

At 6:00 p.m. the concert started in Kaplan Hall. Anyone was able to come with the purchase of a ticket. The concert began with the college students that were in choirs. A men and women mixed choir started the evening, then began a separate women’s choir. The men’s choir was next. Lastly, after an entire day of nonstop rehearsing, the high school choir arose from their seats and sang the last four songs of the evening.

During a break from rehearsal, junior Noah Courtney commented about his experience, “It changed my life. I have learned so much today, and taking it all in, I think music might be a something I want for a career”.

Being able to be picked, and go to Towson to sing with some of the best singers in the area was an honor for the students. They learned a lot that day and are excited to put their new knowledge to use.