Photo courtesy of Faith Lenhart.
Members of The World Games 2022 youth choir, which includes some Vestavia Hills students, records some of the songs for the opening and closing ceremonies.
When The World Games 2022 kick off at Protective Stadium during the opening ceremony on July 7, and when the international event comes to a close during the closing ceremony on July 17, several Vestavia Hills City Schools students, a staff member and a recently retired staff member will be part of the shows.
Eleven students will be part of the youth choir, which will be led by former Vestavia Hills High School choir director Megan Rudolph, while Faith Lenhart, who chairs the arts education department at the high school, is the movement coordinator.
Livi Cate Osborne, a junior, said she was really excited about being part of The World Games in her hometown because it’s a “really big deal” for the city.
Clara White, also a junior, said Rudolph encouraged her last year during her time in the honor choir, and she and other students submitted video auditions to earn their place in the choir. While the choir won’t start rehearsing until the summer, they’ll be performing new music, being written specifically for the ceremonies. Each show will be two hours.
Lenhart called it a “once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” while White said the opportunity to be a part of something so big in Birmingham is very special.
Osborne said she never would have thought The World Games would come to Birmingham.
Both girls have been involved in choir for a long time and said they are excited to represent Vestavia on an international stage.
“We have a lot of school spirit,” Osborne said.
White, who joined choir in middle school, said she grew up listening to music with her dad and said her family is music-oriented. Osborne said she also joined choir in middle school.
“I’ve done choir at my church,” Osborne said. “My choir director in fifth grade was the same choir director at Pizitz, and I just love it so much.”
White said she plans to attend Auburn and eventually become a choir director, while Osborne said she wants to continue participating in choir during her college years. Being part of The World Games will also help on a resume, Osborne said.
Working with Rudolph again is “exciting,” White said, and Osborne said working with her “takes some of the nerves out.”
Rudolph said she was asked to lead the youth choir for the opening and closing ceremonies and said it is “absolutely mind-boggling” that she was asked to lead the 120-student choir.
The ceremonies will, among other things, include the largest LED screen ever constructed in the United States, and are similar to a Super Bowl halftime show or the opening ceremony of the Olympics, Rudolph said.
Rudolph said it’s special to be around Vestavia students again after retiring after the 2020-21 school year.
Lenhart is working with the artistic director, Henry Panion, and is the liaison between the costumer and the different performers in the ceremonies, as well as coordinating rehearsals and where performers will be. Lenhart might also do some choreography.
Panion said the ceremonies will appeal to a broad range of audiences. Several stars, such as the band Alabama and Sara Evans, will be joining at the opening ceremony, as well as a slew of dancers, a 75-piece orchestra, a 100-plus-voice gospel choir and the youth choir, he said. The total cast for the opening ceremony is 700 participants, Panion said.
Randy Owen, the lead singer for Alabama, is working with Panion to write a theme song for the Games titled “Hope of Alabama.”
Protective Stadium will also be transformed, with theatrics in lights, sound and effects similar to a Disney presentation, Panion said.
The World Games leaders wanted the ceremonies to represent the entire Birmingham metro area, leading to the selection of area students for the youth choir, along with the inclusion of Lenhart and Rudolph, whom Panion called “great additions to the team.”
“We really wanted to showcase the wonderful talent that is in Alabama,” Panion said. “We all love football, but seldom do we have an opportunity to showcase other wonderful things in our state.”
The World Games 2022 will be broadcast to a worldwide audience, with more than 110 countries able to watch the events.
Participating in the youth choir from Vestavia Hills City Schools are: Kate Carney, London Riley Pigott, Chambers Garrison, Alexis Rudolph, Carson Schomack, Carrie Ella Smith, Reagan Kessler, Katherine de Buys, Sara Kate Lynch, Osborne and White.
