The Neshaminy High School Select Choir performed at the Bucks County Playhouse Sept. 28 as an opener for the famous a capella group, Vocalosity. In every city it visits, Vocalosity holds a competition for local a cappella groups, and the winner of the contest gets to perform as the opening act. The Neshaminy Select Choir was chosen as the winner, so they were given the opportunity to perform for Vocalosity in person.

Just a few weeks before the concert, Kristen Nichols, the choir director at Neshaminy High School, was looking for tickets so the Select Choir could go see Vocalosity live, but unfortunately the tickets she could find were still $39, which would have made quite a hefty fee for an entire choir to go. However, Nichols found hope when she stumbled upon the competition which, if they won, would let them not only go to the concert, but also meet the members of Vocalosity.

Nichols decided that she should help the Select Choir arrange something for the contest, so she walked into the choir room one Wednesday  morning and said to the select choir, “Hey, there’s this little contest, but it’s due by Friday, so could we have something put together?” During only a single class period, they rehearsed the song they chose, and they recorded it the next day. The choir submitted their rendition of the song “Kids in America,” originally written by Kim Wilde, after only one period of rehearsal. The choir sang the same song in the spring concert last year, but with all the senior members of the choir gone, it was much more difficult to get the song up to par with their previous performances of the song.

When the Select Choir arrived at the Bucks County Playhouse on Sept. 28, they had a quick sound check to prepare for their performance and then they were given the opportunity to meet the members of Vocalosity in person and snap a few pictures with them. After that, the choir travelled outside to perform for anyone walking into the playhouse or for anyone just walking by. They sang “Man in the Mirror” and “Shambala” to warm up.

During the performance for Vocalosity, they sang “September” by Earth, Wind and Fire, “White Winter Hymnal” by Pentatonix, and “Kids in America” by Kim Wilde.

The students in the choir seemed to enjoy the experience as much as Nichols did. “It was really cool. We got there a little early, and we were warming up outside when Vocalosity, who must have been boarding on the  third floor of the building or something, started leaning out the windows and videotaping us warming up. It was a neat experience,” said Mitchell Range, a senior member of the Select Choir

Vocalosity is a fairly new a capella group that was created by Deke Sharon, the mind behind the music of the movie “Pitch Perfect” and NBC’s hit show “Sing-Off.” The group is touring the country and offering the same competition to countless aspiring high school choirs and a capella groups. Sharon is also one of the producers of the new completely a capella broadway show, “In Transit,” which premieres Dec. 10 in The Circle in the Square Theater.