Vestal Voices is the auditioned choir at Vestal High School. It started as an after-school club choir in 1967 and has grown from there. The group is an ever-present force at school events- singing the national anthem at football games, performing at graduation, even providing the fabled Valentine’s Day singing telegrams. But it’s also a social group, and you rarely see one member of Voices without another in tow. I joined Voices this year, and I became interested in the history and culture of the group. Immediately, it was obvious that the mood and atmosphere is due in no small part to its director, Mr. Kiley.
Austin Kiley has been the director of Voices for 15 years, and he’s also a Vestal Voices alum. He puts heart and soul into his position, and is always trying to provide members with as many opportunities as possible. He seems to care as much about the character and integrity of his students as he does their musicianship. I sat down with Mr. Kiley for a brief interview, and he had a lot to say.
First, we spoke about his days in Voices. Dennis Powell was the director, and Mr. Kiley speaks about him with fondness in his voice. He recalls his audition freshman year, and notes that it was similar to how he runs auditions now. He also mentioned that he was the president of Voices as a senior, which means he would run class when Mr. Powell was out, as well as leading student events. He didn’t necessarily expect to become director of Voices, but he said, “There was one point senior year where a friend of mine looked at me, and he was like, “So. Are you going to be the next Mr. Powell?” And I was like, “Ah, no…” But here I am!”.
We also discussed how the group has changed since he was a student. He noted that any changes are mostly due to the general cultural shifts Vestal has seen in the last two decades. He mentioned that, “there’s a smaller population now, and also just more diverse both in terms of nationality, ethnicity, religion, and also economic status.” In addition, students themselves have changed quite a bit even since he started teaching. The shift from young millennials, to Gen Z, and now to Gen Alpha has created a natural, but jarring, change in the way Vestal Voices operates.
As for traditions that have carried through, Vestal Voices has closed every concert with the South African anti-apartheid song Freedom Is Coming for a great many years. We also continue to perform our concerts in green robes, although the robes themselves are “maybe not quite as good condition as the decades go on!” Vestal Voices has also developed a few traditions since Mr. Kiley was a student, like holding cabarets as fundraisers. He also notes, “there’s a lot of similar philosophies about music and about teaching that carry through.”
As for the future, there are talks of a possible Vestal Voices reunion event. In addition, senior Elinor Davidovich has been appointed to the new officer position of Historian, and she will be working to digitize old Voices records. In the meantime, the group will continue on, making music and changing the lives of its members as it has since 1967.
