The Malvern Prep and Notre Dame choral groups present Motown music as the Spring Concert on April 19, 2015.

Every year, Malvern partners with Notre Dame to host a Spring Concert, and every year it proves to be something that is “special,” as Michael Gormley ‘16 puts it.

“The show is one of the reasons why I joined men’s chorus. I’ve seen other high school choruses and there’s just nothing like this one,” said Gormley.

However this year, the two choral groups have decided to take on a style of music that served as a starting point for many famous artists and revolutionized the music business as a whole.

Malvern Prep and the Academy of Notre Dame de Namur present Motown as the Spring Choral Concert.

Expect to hear the music from The Jackson 5, Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye, Smokey Robinson, Diana Ross and many more artists. These songs will be paid tribute by the students on stage.

“[The students] don’t know where [the songs] came from necessarily. It is going to be nice to hear them all in one collection,” said Phil Daubney ’15.

Each chorus has been working very hard in order to put on their best performance yet.

Mr. Ed Liga, who directs the concert along with Notre Dame’s Mrs. Lindsay Miller, explained, “Every song is a number one hit. There wasn’t a bad song. Each song was created like a assembly line, with quality control. [The artists in Motown] learned not only how to create the song, but how to dance, and be a performer; to become a star. They touched all the bases, and were well rounded artists.”

Liga made sure the choral group knew the history of Motown, so that they would develop an appreciation for the business.

John Kuyat ’15 said, “Honestly, [Motown] is one of the more exciting concerts I’ve done so far. The music is unlike any other rhythmically and iconically. It’s untouchable. That in itself makes it fun to listen to and to attend.”

Jack Murphy ’15 added, “The songs are upbeat and a lot of fun.”

“Originally, I knew nothing about Motown. I knew one hit, ‘Ain’t No Mountain High Enough,’ but that was it,” said Andrew Stetser ’15. “[The concert is] a learning experience for our generation; just make them aware that Motown existed. It was big. It was short lived, but a huge influence. There would be no Michael Jackson if not for Motown. It’s just amazing.”

“It’s going to be an exciting concert. We got a band playing all up tempo songs,” said Liga. “You can’t leave without having a smile on your face; it’s just the happiest music ever.”

Playlist of featured songs: