Take a deep breath. Holding their heads high, the group walks onto an international stage for the first time in five years. Faces from across the world stared back at the team as they took a deep breath and began their long-prepared melodies.
This summer, Samford University’s A Cappella Choir performed at the CantaRode International Choir Festival at the town of Kerkrade in the Netherlands. The festival hosted 13 choirs from 10 different countries, many which had competed in previous years. The choir won first place in the festival as well as the “Audience Award,” and Philip Copeland, the group’s conductor, won “Best Conductor” award. This is the third international win for the choir, previously winning awards in Budapest and Lithuania.
The A Cappella choir began in 1939, years before Samford University received its name, and it has operated under Copeland for the past decade. The ensemble, currently consisting of 47 members from various departments, is incredibly close-knit. They rehearse for an hour each day, and the members are often together outside of rehearsals.
Libby Criswell, assistant conductor and a senior member of the Samford A Cappella Choir, said, “We function so much as a unit, and I feel like that comes across in our music-making. That’s part of the reason why we’re so cohesive.”
Every two years, the choir travels abroad to compete internationally. However, due to the pandemic, the troop has not performed overseas since the summer of 2018. This was the first time any of the current members were able to participate in this tradition. For some, like Criswell, it was their first time traveling abroad.
During their trip, the choir performed in two cities in Belgium, Bruges and Antwerp, before traveling to the Netherlands. In Antwerp, they sang for a mass service given in Dutch. Across Europe, the group rehearsed for the upcoming competition in historic churches. The sacred locations gave the performers a better grasp on the music they had been rehearsing.
Caroline Copeland, the soprano section leader, said, “Those buildings exemplified what we’re singing because the people that created these sanctuaries and cathedrals were doing it for God. All these building we were performing in were a gift for God.”
Before each rehearsal, different members of the Samford A Cappella Choir give devotions that focus on the lyrics they are learning. The ensemble continued this tradition before stepping onto the stage at the choir festival. This not only helps the choir focus on Christ, but also truly express the emotions in the lyrics, most of which are in foreign languages.
Philip Copeland’s goal for the A Cappella Choir is continual growth. He hopes that each year will be better than the last. The group’s musical ability never plateaus, and they continue to be challenged with every rehearsal. Under Copeland, Samford’s A Cappella Choir is constantly striving for a higher standard than the previous year.
“A Cappella Choir is a commitment to excellence,” Caroline Copeland said. “That can be for literally anything: who you are as a person, how you interact with other members, but especially [a commitment] to a musical standard.”
The choir continues to perform on and off Samford’s campus. The ensemble hopes to compete internationally again in the future.
Arts & Life Editor
