Victory and Harmony: Saint Mary’s Chamber Singers Earn a Gold Medal at the 2024 World Choir Games
At the world’s largest choral competition in New Zealand, Saint Mary’s joined nine other gold medal-winning groups from the USA. The bigger reward? Making music with participants from over 40 countries and nations.
At the 13th World Choir Games in Auckland, New Zealand, the Saint Mary’s College of California Chamber Singers brought their distinctive voices to a global stage. Now, they’ve returned stateside with a gold medal—and a trove of unforgettable experiences.
Established by Interkultur in 2000, the World Choir Games is the largest choral competition on earth. It was certainly the biggest such event New Zealand has ever hosted: The 2024 Games—which had 250 choirs performing in both championship and open competitions from July 10 to 20—brought 11,000 participants of all ages from over 40 countries and regions to the island nation.
This year, Saint Mary’s Chamber Singers was placed in the Championship Mixed Chamber Group category following a pre-qualification process, going head-to-head against groups from Australia, China, India, the Philippines, and Switzerland. Earning a high score is no small feat, explains Dr. Sixto Montesinos Jr., director of Saint Mary’s Music program, who accompanied the group to Auckland. “All participating choirs are graded rigorously, with gold medals awarded to all ensembles receiving an A- or higher, and silver and bronze Medals to choirs earning a B or C, respectively.”
On July 19, the Gaels gave a rousing performance of expressive range, opening with “Hear My Prayer” by Moses Hogan, followed by Z. Randall Stroope’s thunderous “Conversion of Saul,” then Hugo Alfven’s serene soundscape “Aftonen” (“Evening”), sung in Swedish, and concluding with “Riuh!” (“Chaotic Joy”) by Malaysian composer Tracey Wong, which featured three beat-boxers.
The panel of seven international judges awarded Saint Mary’s a gold medal for technical and artistic achievement, as well as their overall effectiveness in presentation. The Philippines choir received the highest gold medal scores in the category.
Saint Mary’s was among nine other American ensembles who earned gold, contributing to a total gold medal count of 17 for the United States, making it the second-highest medal-earning nation at the World Choir Games. Only China, with 33 gold medals, earned more.
Somebody to Lean On
For many Gaels, this was their first time at the Games, or even abroad. Not so for Dr. Julie Ford, longtime choral director at Saint Mary’s. For well over a decade, Ford has guided Gaels to gold and silver medals at three World Choir Games: Cincinnati in 2012, Latvia in 2014, and South Africa in 2018.
Ford’s co-director, Michael Blackburn ’16, was no newcomer either. He first attended the Games in 2014, back when he was a student and Chamber Singer himself. This year’s touring group included six other SMC choral alumni, as well as five music students from Diablo Valley College—the fruition of a new SMC music program outreach initiative.
As satisfying as the medal was for Saint Mary’s students, the real prize was the performance, Ford says. "Before we even knew the results, they were ecstatic because they knew they did their very best...That was how we had decided we would measure success.
"As sweet as it was to also earn a gold medal, it came as a beautiful external affirmation of what they already felt was a team triumph."
The other reward, Montesinos says, was the once-in-a-lifetime cultural experience. “They were exposed to diverse musical styles and languages from choirs around the world. It broadened their understanding of musical elements such as melody, harmony, rhythm, form, and timbre.”
Indeed, some of the most powerful music occurred not onstage, but spontaneously. On the evening of July 16, for instance, some Gaels found themselves swept up in a spur-of-the-moment singalong to Bill Withers’ “Lean on Me.”
Dozens of performers, from all ages and backgrounds, effortlessly transitioned into rich four-part harmony as they reached the chorus: “You just call on me, brother, when you need a hand/ We all need somebody to lean on.” The lights of the Auckland skyline glittered behind them as they snapped and sang.
In a few days, the singers would all return to their respective homelands. But, for a moment, they were creating something new— a “shared humanity,” as Montesinos puts it. It’s hard to want to leave that.
More photos from the 2024 World Choir Games
