BUFORD — In the sanctuary of Buford First United Methodist Church, gorgeous songs were floating beyond the church doors onto Main Street. The sounds were stunning and crystal clear.  I was in awe that the sounds I was hearing were coming out of the young ladies in the small group on stage. The Buford Community Girls Chorus was performing the songs that they performed in Europe over the summer on Sunday, August 4.  

Former Buford Middle School Choral Director and 2017 Buford City Schools Teacher of the Year, Mr. Edward McQuade founded the all-girl chorus in 2005.  The Buford Community Girls Chorus came to life because McQuade wanted to bring a community choir to Buford like those he had been involved with when he was a child.  

The purpose of the group is to “provide talented young ladies in grades 7-12 with the opportunity to sing challenging choral music in a small ensemble,” states McQuade.  The group which is funded by the generosity of the City of Buford will never exceed 35 members. Girls are invited to join the BCGC based on their vocal ability, as well as, their desire to participate in the group.  Once a girl is selected, she can remain with the chorus until she graduates from high school. 

The vocally gifted group has shown off their gift for song over the years at places like the Crescent City Choral Festival in New Orleans, Carnegie Hall in New York, Orchestra Hall in Chicago, Downtown Disney at the Magic Kingdom in Orlando, Italy, Switzerland, and Austria. In 2017, the BCGC took their first European tour to Italy where they performed in Venice, Florence, and even at the Vatican in Rome. This summer, the girls were able to once again venture to Europe but this time they performed in Switzerland and Austria. To perfect the challenging musical selections, the girls would practice for one hour each week starting in August and running until their either went on their trip or at the end of the school year. 

The concert on August 4 was inspired by their trip and was titled “From Bavaria to Buford.” The concert was kicked off with the almost haunting song of the “Alleluia Incantation” by Andrew Miller.  The girls performed a diverse selection of music, even singing in Estonian for the song “Muusika” by Pärt Noel. The beautiful trio of Karrie Bryson, Hanna Hopper, and Keighly Brown led the Senior High Choir in their rendition of “Ave Maria” by Franz Biebl. The entire choir led by soloist Chloe Bonds sang a more modern song written by the Beatles called “Penny Lane.” In total, the Buford Community Girls Chorus treated the audience to 18 perfectly performed songs.

The 2018-2019 Buford Community Girls Chorus members are Amelia Barnard, Audrey Bennett, Chloe Bonds, Mariana Borja, Samantha Brody, Jenna Brown, Keighly Brown, Karrie Bryson, Alex Carefoot, Mara Eva Cline, Maggie Dale, Presley Dale, Abbey Graddick, Jessica Hale, Caroline Henderson, Abbie Hopper, Hanna Hopper, Miette Lee, Heather Liley, Alyssa Lovern, Barbara Machado, Caroline Montini, Teresa Moody, Abigael Powell, Megan Thompson, and Erin Wright. 

— By Alicia Couch Payne