Ever since Mark Williams retired as Pequea Valley's music teacher in 2014, there was substantial interest in holding an alumni choir event.

The can kept being kicked down the road, all the way through the COVID-19 pandemic until Pequea Valley High School was set to be shut down in 2025.

Last year, the Pequea Valley Choral Alumni Association finally held its first performance, and it was a resounding success. Both Williams and current music instructor Nathan Bankert instantly became inundated with requests to do it again.

So, they are. There will be another alumni choral at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, May 8, at Pequea Valley Secondary (PVS) as part of PV's Chamber Singers' spring concert. No admission fee will be charged for the event.

"Immediately, people were saying that we have to do this again," Williams said. "So this is a response to that, but on a more limited basis than what we did last time."

All PVHS alumni who sang in concert choir, upperclassmen chorus or chamber singers are welcome to participate in the event. Last year's alumni choir was a standalone event on the day after the Chamber Singers' spring concert, but the choirs have been combined this year.

"We're not doing nearly as much repertoire," Williams said. "Because we're doing it on a Friday night, we don't have the option of doing an all-day rehearsal during the day ... we'd like this to be an annual thing, and we're feeling our way as to what people really want to do."

There will be an optional rehearsal from 7 to 9 p.m. on Wednesday, May 6, in the new choral room at PVS. Warmup on the day of the concert will start at 6 p.m. backstage.

The big draw for last year's alumni choir was the chance to perform on the closing high school's stage for the last time - the choir was the last performance of any kind on the stage. This year, it's the opportunity to take the stage at the shiny new digs.

"Singing in our community runs so deep," said Bankert, a 2001 PVHS graduate. "There's just such a tradition of excellence in the choral program ... I think people are excited to be a part of that transition into something new, but still adding their place into that continued tradition of excellence in the new space."

The alumni will open the show, performing "Splendor from Illuminaire" by Elaine Hagenberg and "How Can I Keep from Singing" by Gwyneth Walker. They will also join the current Chamber Singers at the end of their performance for "The Irish Blessing" by Eilers and "That Lonesome Road" by Nathaniel Shilkret.

Bankert noted that both his mother and older brother - both PVHS alumni - will perform at the event.

"We have so much history here, so many families and so many bloodlines," Bankert said. "To see the alumni join voices with the current singers is just like the icing on the cake."

Alumni who are interested in performing in the choir can find more information on how to register by searching for "Pequea Valley Music Boosters" on Facebook.