Sarah Kilpatrick is a junior and member of the John S. Davidson Fine Arts School Chorale. She has two older brothers who were also in the chorale group and helped to form her love of music. Along with singing, Sarah enjoys playing soccer and a few other sports that fill her time outside of school.
When did your interest in singing start?
I have been singing since I was four years old when I joined the “littlest angels” choir at my church (I still sing under Joel Haywood in Love Unlimited, the high school choir at Trinity on the Hill). This is where I became interested in singing because it was a fun environment and gave me a positive outlook for it that I have carried ever since.
What do you enjoy about singing? What is most challenging?
One thing that I really enjoy about singing is how complex it is. There are so many ways that music is performed and interpreted. It is amazing how two people can sing the same song but portray completely different meanings. This, however, is also one of the most challenging things about singing. A singer must be able to find a way to connect to each song personally and express that meaning to the audience. This can be conveyed in several ways, like facial expressions and stance. It may not seem particularly important, but it is amazing the differences those subtleties can make.
What is one of your favorite performances and why?
My favorite performance was when our school choir got the privilege to perform at GMEA (Georgia Music Educators Association). When we finally got to the venue along with our director Phillip Streetman, we understood how hard we had worked to prepare for the event. We had personal connections to each piece and were, for lack of a better phrase, so in the moment. During one of the songs that included a very beautiful solo for one of our members, many of us began to cry because of how amazing she sounded and how much we had worked to get to that place.
What things do you do to help ease your nerves before singing a solo?
I was never super nervous when singing a solo. I just knew that, while I always hoped that people enjoyed what they heard, I was really singing for myself. When I was younger, I sang at the Greenjackets stadium a few times, but as I got older, I began to enjoy singing in a choir and in ensembles more than doing solos. I was involved in the Augusta Children’s Chorale under the direction of Lori Van Lenten and did some shows with the Augusta Junior Players.
