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Choral

Pope John Paul II Preparatory School's Choral Program is considered one of the best in Tennessee. Singers in the program are consistently seated in the Freshman Honor, Mid-State Honor, and All-State Honor choirs. Pope Prep choirs receive "superior" ratings yearly at district and state choral festivals. 

Choirs perform at festivals, invitationals, and community events. Choirs at Pope Prep have traveled worldwide, including Italy, Carnegie Hall, Orlando, Memphis, and many others. The Choral Program at Pope Prep includes a middle school choir, a high school beginning choir, advanced men's and women's choirs, an auditioned traditional choir (Chamber Choir), and a highly competitive auditioned contemporary a cappella ensemble (Voices uKnighted).

Annual Choral Events

Program Highlights

  • Students are consistently selected to perform annually in Mid-State and All-State ensembles and receive superior ratings at Solo and Ensemble. 
  • Students are consistently selected Tennessee Governor's School
  • Voices uKnighted (contemporary a cappella ensemble) recorded and released (all digital musical platforms) an original single, composed by Josh Humphries ‘19, titled “Wish it Away.”
  • Voices uKnighted released the first collaboration video project in December 2019.
  • Forty-four members of the choral program traveled to New York City in the Spring of 2019 and performed at the John Rutter Requiem at Carnegie Hall.

Alumni Highlights

Josh Humphries '19 lost one of his best friends in an auto accident, and while trying to make sense of the tragic loss, Josh turned to music. He found comfort and strength in his faith, which inspired him to write "Wish It Away." The original song, performed by Josh, has over 2,000 hits on iTunes and Spotify combined. For an in-depth interview, visit the Hendersonville Standard.

Andrew Gilstrap ‘12 has been busy since graduating with a Master’s in Voice Performance and Pedagogy from the University of Houston’s Moore School of Music. This alumnus of JPII’s choral program has joined the Resident Artist Program at Minnesota Opera and is singing several roles on the main stage, including Der Pfleger for Richard Strauss’ Elektra, Don Basilio in Gioachino Rossini’s Il barbiere di Siviglia, the Immigration Officer in Jonathan Dove’s Flight, and Masetto in W.A. Mozart’s Don Giovanni, as well as covering several roles in the world premiere of Paola Prestini’s Edward Tulane and a more significant role in Don Giovanni. Andrew has worked for several other professional opera companies recently: Wolf Trap Opera, Des Moines Metro Opera, Opera in the Heights, and the Ohio Light Opera. He has also done freelance concert work with Dallas Chamber Choir, Denton Bach Society, and Lone Star College. We are proud to claim Andrew Gilstrap as a JPII AlumKnight who started his spectacular and busy career as a musician at JPII. Once a Knight, always a Knight!

Andrew Gilstrap - Minnesota Opera Bio