Stamford High Vocalists Prep for Lincoln Center Performance

Fifteen students were gathered in the choir room at for a midday rehearsal on Tuesday. This week, members of the Madrigal Singers have been rehearsing for 45 minutes in their class during the day and were all planning to come back for their usual two-hour rehearsal at night.

"They're so energetic," music teacher Gloria Sinaguglia told Patch. "They rise to the occasion and I'm always honored to be working with them."

The students stood in rows, sitting for just one song before standing up again. Girls filled in the front row, boys in the second, all focused on their music and diligently working towards Friday's performance. One student came in a few minutes late with a hall pass, as she crossed the room during warm ups she had already begun to sing with the group, quickly taking her place with the sopranos.

Sinaguglia jokes with her students from the piano in between songs, but she’s not one to go easy on them, especially this week as the group prepares for a performance at Lincoln Center. Throughout rehearsal she emphasizes their enunciation  — having them recite the words before singing in order to work on gradually building their volume.

“Don’t look at your music, you don’t need it,” Sinaguglia told the students. “Dig from the bottom of your feet and sing to right here.”  

The Stamford High Madrigal Singers will leave for New York City after school on Thursday — Sinaguglia reminded them to get their dresses and suits “dappered up” for the performance — and gave them a quick education on packing garment bags for the bus trip.

American Musical Salute will be presenting several “Remembering 9/11” concerts throughout March, April, May, and October of this year. Vocal and instrumental groups from around the country have been invited to take part in the concerts.

“I received an email and pursued it… it was worth putting in the time,” Sinaguglia told Patch. “It’s an important commemoration and the venue is so special.”

Stamford High will be performing in Alice Tully Hall on Friday at 1 p.m. along with choirs from Pelham Memorial High School from New York City and Ishpeming High School from Michigan. The schools will have one rehearsal together on Thursday night and return on Friday for their performance.

The combined choir performance will include classics such as "Simple Gifts" and "At the River," "Make Them Hear You" from "Ragtime" and also an original composition — "Choral Fantasia on 'I Never Saw a Moor'" — by the performance’s accompanist Richard Pearson Thomas.

“It's going to be gorgeous," Sinaguglia said. "It's hard for [the students] to imagine what the sound will be like, they’re used to performing in this sized group... in that venue, it will be magnificent."