It has been a whirlwind week for a group of O'Connell choir members who capped last week off by providing background vocals for country singer Eric Church's opening number at the Verizon Center in Washington, D.C.
Choir Director Peter Kadeli received an email earlier in the week asking if he had a small group of students who could be available for an afternoon of rehearsals and a quick performance that evening. He reached out to the O'Connell Singers, the women's select chorus, which he felt had the right mix of voices for this assignment.
"I was thrilled when I found out we were asked to sing with Eric Church!" said junior Dina Phipps. "It was such an amazing and unique experience and I am so thankful to have had this opportunity! "
In all, sixteen members of the O'Connell Singers participated in the event, which included an afternoon bus ride into the city, a back-stage tour and rehearsal session, before their big moment to appear on-stage in front of a sold-out Eric Church concert.
"This was truly an amazing opportunity for our students," said Kadeli. "Very few high school students can say they have performed with a Grammy winning musician for more than 18,000 audience members. We are very grateful to Eric Church for supporting music in our schools."
More Links:
Read about this in the Arlington Catholic Herald.
Hear Mr. Kadeli and a choir member interviewed on 98.7 WMZQ.
Have you seen the video clip from the show? View it below or at https://youtu.be/PYl9-K6rz6E.