This past Wednesday, the Yeshivah of Flatbush Chamber Choir participated in the sixth annual Nashir Choral Festival hosted by SAR High School. Other yeshiva high schools represented were Golda Och Academy, Abraham Joshua Heschel High School , North Shore High School, and SAR High School. At this unique event, students are encouraged to meet new people, learn new singing techniques, enjoy different genres of music, and above all have fun. Although the day was icy and cold the YOF chamber choir, lead by their esteemed director Mr. Brian Gelfand, set out with high hopes and some nerves. The choir had been preparing for the performance for months as it is the only time to show other schools how good you are. When we first entered the school all of the students were given folders and name tags and gathered into the auditorium where they learned an original song by Nick Page, a professional musician. Students where then split up into groups and participated in three of four different sessions. One of the post popular was perhaps the Gospel Session. Students learned classic gospel songs and learned of its roots and meaning. Other sessions includes drumming, beat boxing 101, and a session led by Nick Page. As the day came to a close students were able to showcase their talents in a school wide concert. There were unforgettable performances from Heschel’s “Stop” and North Shore's “Jewsical” but our very own YOF Chamber Choir preformed “Uri Tzion” and “Bridge Over Troubles Water.” To end the show all the choirs rose and sang together. On behalf of YOF we’d like to thank SAR for the outstanding experience and hope to be there next year as well. ~Merle Cohen
