Joniece Trammel, Director of the Kimbrough Choir at Black River Technical College (BRTC), had a dream after attending a choir festival at the University of Arkansas Fort Smith. She wanted BRTC to hold its own festival and invite local high school choirs. This year her dream became a reality.
On Thursday, November 5 BRTC invited local high school choirs to show their talent as well as acquaint students with the BRTC campus. High school choirs included Sloan-Hendrix, Maynard, Hoxie, Corning, and Mammoth Spring. The BRTC Kimbrough Singers and BRTC choir also performed.
The day began with Craig Jones, Voice Master from Harding Academy, leading all the choirs in voice exercises and then a short class. Trammel met Jones at the American Choral Directors Association reading clinic in Hot Springs and was impressed as she watched him direct. “Not only is he an accomplished director, but he has an excellent rapport with students,” said Trammel.
Each individual choir worked all semester on one piece which they sang to the public. Then all the choirs sang one piece together. “The role of the festival was to encourage high school choirs, and from the feedback we have received, the festival accomplished that,” stated Trammel.