The sounds of sacred choral music filled St. Mary’s Cathedral on Wednesday, April 13, as the City High Choirs sang in their annual Cathedral Concert under the direction of James Berry and Dr. James Thompson.

“Holding a concert at a cathedral is more true to what this kind of music was written for,” Berry said. “We want students to sing this music in a cathedral setting, because the sound is very different [than] in most auditoriums.”

Even though the concert is held at a different venue, Berry says that he prepares for the cathedral concert in the same manner as he would for a concert in Opstad Auditorium.

“The only difference [between the cathedral concert and our home concert] is that there is more of a focus on sacred music,” Berry said.

Although not everyone involved in City High’s choirs is religious, Berry believes that it is important for students to experience different styles of music.

“There is great music that is secular, and there is great music that is sacred, but I think that it would do a disservice to the art of choral music to just be doing [one genre or the other],” Berry said. “You have to have some kind of balance.”

Danielle Tang ‘17 agrees, and acknowledges the prominence of this concert.

“We can experience different styles and become versatile singers,” Tang said. “The concert is very special, and I would consider it to be one of my favorite performances of the year.”