The Men’s Choral Festival, a tradition held by Roxbury Latin, Catholic Memorial, and Belmont Hill, was successfully reestablished after almost a 3-year break due to covid. Pre-covid, Belmont Hill, Roxbury Latin, and Catholic Memorial recognized a singing tradition that took place at the beginning of November. Hosted by RL, the night consisted of various arrangements of songs, ranging from church to pop. Due to a lasting friendship between Mr. Patterson and Roxbury Latin and Catholic Memorial’s chorus directors, this tradition has remained running.
The event was held in Roxbury Latin’s Rousmaniere Hall, an elaborate space furnished with a lower and upper deck for chairs, and an organ to the left of the stage. The antique room displayed its rich history through a shiny, ash-brown interior. Upon arriving, an assistant led the B-Flats to a warm-up room where Brother P’s energy and motivation readied the boys for their big night.
The first group to sing was Catholic Memorial’s 8-man Chorale, performing an array of church songs, harmonizing through solos and backgrounds. Soon after came the B-Flats, with matching bow ties and an ecstatic jump to their steps. “Bringing life to the party,” the B-flats started strong with Frank Sinatra’s “Fly Me To The Moon,” featuring Riley Marth ’27. Riley’s expressive and uplifting solo set the tone for what the B-Flats had in stock. After a long applause, the Flats’ performance of “I’m a Believer” with Henry Hagedorn ’25 as a soloist led the audience to incorporate a clapping rhythm. The song ended, once again, with a round of applause. The next piece, “I Open My Mouth,” allowed the boys to exemplify their own talents in harmonizing and singing in a canon. The interchanging pitches and Brother P’s conducting created a heartwarming experience. Second to last came Jimmy Buffett’s “Margaritaville,” the Flats’ dedication to his recent passing. Through Brady Palladino ’26 and Thomas Danahy’s ’26 electric solos, and the well-known “wasted away again in Margaritaville” chorus, the audience joined in with the performance. Both singing and illuminating the room with their phone’s flashlights, the crowd encouraged the Flats to sing more expressively and created an unreal experience. To end their performance, the Flats looked to “Good Ole Acapella,” and presented it, as the title entails, without reinforcement from the piano. Going off of their brothers’ voices, the Flats intertwined the melodic and euphonious melodies of the upbeat song, receiving a standing ovation and a memorable Brother P. holler. Walking back to their seats, the boys could see the proud and delighted expressions on their friends and families’ faces.
Following the lively performance of the B-Flats came the 100+ student Roxbury Latin Glee Club. Blowing the Belmont Hill boys away with their immense size, the Glee Club performed a variety of pieces similar to those sung by the Chorale. With the incorporation of Scottish and Hebrew folk songs, traditional spiritual songs, and even a showing of Michael Jackson’s “Rock With You,” the night still held one more song. “River in Judea,” a song with many underlining interpretations, seemed best fit to end the wonderful night for all three groups. As both RL and CM are Catholic schools, the Flats spent the time to learn the piece and joined in with RL’s Glee Club, and CM’s Chorale for the finale. Barely fitting on the stage, the boys from all three schools followed the conductor’s movements as the harmony from the tenors and baritones weaved into the basses. The melodies lifted the spirits of everyone and when the song ended, the acclamation of the crowd brought joy and exhilaration to all the performers; as a parent from another school put it: “I wish I could experience it again.”
