– Photo by Zoe Blickenderfer

The Somerville High School Chorus, under the direction of Ms. Beverly Mosby, will be performing at the WorldStrides Heritage Inaugural Music Festival on Saturday, January 19 in Washington D.C.  A group of 29 students will perform three selections that include a song in French, an acappella Spiritual piece, and a contemporary choral selection.  The group will attend the Inauguration of President Barack Obama, and is scheduled to visit numerous historic and cultural sites.  They will also be participating in an awards dinner/dance as part of the Inaugural Music Festival activities that weekend.

“Our students are extremely excited to be representing the City of Somerville and the Somerville Public Schools during this important weekend in our nation’s capital,” stated Somerville Public Schools Music Director, Rick Saunders, who oversees all of the music programs throughout the District.

Somerville High School boasts the same cultural richness as the City of Somerville.  That diversity is reflected in the High School Chorus.  Students whose heritage comes from India, Greece, Nepal, Ghana, China, Nigeria, Mexico, Brazil and Haiti are all part of the Somerville High School Chorus.

“Our students are amazing ambassadors of our Schools and the City of Somerville, and we are so proud of the level of commitment they have shown in preparation for this event,” added Superintendent of Schools, Tony Pierantozzi.  “Those of us who have the pleasure of working with our students on a daily basis know that our students are talented, dedicated, compassionate, and incredibly hard-working – in everything they do.  This group of students is a wonderful representation of the talent and rich diversity of our students and our community.  We are eager to share with the rest of the nation some of the passion that drives our students and the beauty of our diverse community.”

The following SHS students make up the group representing Somerville at the WorldStrides Inaugural Music Festival:  Tara Amaral, Theodora Babilye, Sophina Clough, Lin Collins, Alexis DeMattia, Blessing Duche, Nickolas Eliadis, Judcine Felix, Caroline Form, Nicole Gouveia, Edward Grandmont, John Iacovino, Tara Jean-Baptiste, Aminata Keita, Ila Lama, Giliade Lehnert, Kayla Liberato, Brigid Long, Tahisha Louis, Tanisha Louis, Nickolas Menezes, Catherine Nakato, Emily Kate O’Brien, Joshua Ojo, Reuben Philemond, Lipasha Pradhan, Talya Sogoba, Karisha Sukhu, and Jordan Young.