Under a brilliant blue sky, young voices from across the Mid-Atlantic rose in harmony inside the grand Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception on March 1. Gathered for the American Federation Pueri Cantores Festival, parish and school choirs from grades 4-12 joined together in a day of sacred choral music, uniting their voices in a tradition as enduring as the Mass itself in The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Washington.
Participants sang as one combined choir, drawing from the Church’s historical repertoire. The festival concluded with a solemn Mass celebrated by Cardinal Wilton D. Gregory.
“Their voices uplift our spirits and remind us of the beauty of sacred music in worship,” Cardinal Gregory said during his homily. He emphasized the role of young musicians in continuing the Church’s tradition of reverent choral singing.
Guest conductor Melanie Malinka, the music director at the Madeleine Choir School in Salt Lake City, led the festival. Originally from Stuttgart, Germany, Malinka has been overseeing the school’s choral program since 2001. She has prepared students for concert seasons, international tours, and performances with the Utah Symphony and Utah Opera.
Throughout the day, students rehearsed under Malinka’s direction, refining their technique and preparing for the liturgy. The festival provided an opportunity for young choristers to deepen their musical formation while fostering a sense of unity through sacred song.
For many students, the experience was both musically enriching and personally meaningful. Jazmine Aragon-Cadmia, a junior from St. Vincent Pallotti High School in Laurel, Maryland, said she was excited about the music they would be singing for the prelude. A soprano, she shared that her current favorite artists are TV Girl and Deftones.
Michael Okafor, a junior and tenor, said he enjoys hip-hop and named Tame Impala as his favorite artist. As he and Jazmine Aragon-Cadmia talked about their choir, they casually mentioned that their classmate Phillip Anyangqe had “the most aura”—a slang term often used by teens to describe someone’s style, confidence, or overall presence.
When Anyangqe joined the conversation, he reflected on why his friends might say that about him. Smiling, he said, “Probably because of my confidence and demeanor, or the way I interact with people.”
Speaking about the festival, he added, “I’m enjoying getting to work with my friends.”
The students also shared their admiration for their musical director, Kelli A. Young. “She’s so fun,” they said, noting her energetic teaching style. They especially appreciate how she dances and brings passion to the music she teaches—“even if she is strict.”
Students from St. Leo the Great School in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, also reflected on their experience. Seventh grader Adrienne Hoover said she is really into Frank Ocean and appreciates the guidance of her music director, Emily Baker.
“She’s really good and helps us all get better,” Hoover said.
Fellow seventh grader Kelly McMahon enjoyed singing with a more diverse group of vocalists.
“It’s cool getting to hear all the different voice parts together since we don’t usually have tenors or basses in our group,” she said. McMahon also shared that she is a fan of Gracie Abrams.
Eighth graders from St. Thomas More Cathedral School in Arlington, Virginia, also shared their thoughts.
Gabbi Schiller, who is interested in indie music and The Cure, said she appreciates how her music directors, Katelyn Hannel and Emily Sheckels, “are really nice and help me understand everything.”
Gwen Phillips, who enjoys show tunes, said she likes how their classes are “really enjoyable.”
Christina Cavoretto, mother of Miller Cavoretto, a fourth grader at Our Lady of Hope Catholic School in Potomac Falls, Virginia, attended the Mass. As the liturgy concluded, her two young daughters caught Cardinal Gregory’s attention as he processed out. He stopped to greet and shake hands with Caroline, a second grader preparing for her First Communion, who beamed as she shook his hand. April, who is 3, was more timid, but as the cardinal departed, both girls smiled and jumped up and down as their mother watched.
