Bryn Athyn’s College Chorale lent their voices to a global project with the Stay at Home Choir in the spring of 2021. The large-scale group performed “Locus Iste” written and directed by celebrated choirmaster Gareth Malone. Six participating students–Jordan Brunne, Bennett Buick, Eveleyn DeChazal, Danielle Hughes, Maxwell Nelson, and Alisha Reid–were introduced to the project by their director Graham Bier. Dr. Beir also served as rehearsal leader for participants in the western hemisphere time zones.
The College Chorale members, accustomed to rehearsals in an intimate and small class setting, were able to engage in a very different musical environment. The Stay at Home Choir practices were held over Zoom, alongside a large number of singers from various locations. In total, the choir’s performance consisted of over 1,500 international singers–a stark contrast to the typical Bryn Athyn College experience. The project also alleviated some logistical challenges from COVID-19 pandemic, such as quarantines and social-distancing measures.
The song itself comes from the phrase “Locus iste a Deo factus est” which translates from Latin to "This place was made by
God,” prayerfully highlighting the Lord’s role and protection in our lives. Its performance
was edited and released in August 2021, and can be watched below from YouTube.
Bryn Athyn students can be seen in the following timestamps:
- Alisha [0:57 column 7 row 4] [1:19 c8 r3] [1:57 c10 r16] [3:08 c2 r5] [1:43 c1 r16]
- Bennett [0:57 column 5 row 3] [1:19 c6 r2] [1:57 c8 r15] [2:31 c7 r3]
- Danielle [0:57 column 9 row 9] [1:19 r9 c10] [1:58 c12 r21]
- Evelyn [2:57 c2 r9] [3:11 c11 r7] [3:35 column 2 row 18]
- Jordan [1:30 column 15 row 1] [2:00 c1 r14] [3:03 c3 r11]
- Maxwell [1:32 column 21 row 1] [2:41 c12 r9] [2:57 c1 r12] [3:03 c9 r9][3:25 c21 r9]