Abigail Paik (‘24) initially started choir because her mum told her to, and, in her own words, she was too young to make decisions for herself. Unexpectedly, however, she ended up heartily enjoying her first class, and ultimately chose to stay in Cantabella.
It’s been nine years since that fateful day. Now in tenth grade, while many of her peers have moved on due to busier and more demanding school schedules, Paik’s certain she’ll continue her journey with Cantabella for the rest of her high school years.
“I like to sing because I like the idea of not needing an instrument to make really pretty music,” said Paik.
Paik and her older sister Elizabeth were both in Honors Choir up till last year, when Elizabeth graduated and went off to college. Contrary to expectations, Paik asserts that they did not fight like cats and dogs, and had a close relationship. “I didn't mind being in choir with my sister because we didn't interact too much during rehearsals,” said Paik. Another thought enters her mind, and she grins cheekily, “It only became a problem during choir trips when we had to share a bedroom. We fought a lot.” For Paik, Cantabella has become family - she dearly cherishes the many friendships she’s forged in these nine years, and all the travel opportunities she’d been offered, from attending the Choral Kathaumixw Festival in Canada to winning the Grand Prix award at the World Youth Choral Festival in Jeju, South Korea.
“My favorite place Cantabella traveled to is British Columbia. I loved the food at the cafe where we ate every day, and I liked making friends there,” Paik recalled, eyes shining and licking her lips in longing.
She credits Cantabella for fostering her love for music, having imbued her with a new appreciation for old, timely tunes and classic Latin gospels. After a minute of rumination, her head cocked in concentration, Paik decided that the song Essassa, sung by Honors Choir in 2018, is her favorite one from her years at Cantabella. Her all-time favorite song, though, is “Back to Hogwarts” from A Very Potter Musical.
“Music is important because it brings people of lots of different backgrounds together, [and] doing music is a good way to make friends,” said Paik.