Kerri Rafferty
Staff Writer
On Nov. 8, the Neshaminy Select Choir performed “Ain’t it Fun” on stage with Paramore at the Susquehanna Bank Center.
The Grammy Association, an organization dedicated to providing students with the opportunity to work with professional musicians, partnered with Paramore to support music programs in area high schools. Neshaminy was selected to sing with Paramore, in addition to receiving $1,000.
Nineteen students chosen from the Select Choir left school early with directors Kristin Nichols and Jason Leigh headed for the concert venue.
When they arrived, they promptly headed to a sound check where the choir ran through the song with a portion of the band. Afterwards, they were left to walk around town where they sang a few numbers on the sidewalks of Camden until it was time to catch dinner at a local pizzeria and then meet a few members at the Susquehanna Bank Center who would be supporting the choir from the seats.
The choir was allowed twenty members on stage and was given an additional twenty tickets for guests. These tickets were offered to students, such as Angela Cook, who were not selected to perform Friday night.
Cook said “I may not have performed with the choir, but I still had a blast. It was only the second concert I’d ever been to, so I was super excited when I found out even though I couldn’t sing, I could still go.”
Students entered the venue and took their seats, eagerly anticipating the performance. Halfway through the concert, stage hands escorted the choir backstage where they put on their red choir robes adorned with a Paramore patch and awaited their cue to sing.
Nick Taylor, a senior member of the select choir who sang on stage, said “My favorite part of the night was that moment when I sang my first note. That moment had all the anticipation, excitement, happiness, and the like all at once.” The rest of the choir felt similarly, certainly cherishing the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity they shared.
The choir was able to get a group picture with the band and an autograph to hang in the classroom to commemorate the unforgettable night.
