Choral connections
Photos by Jose Garcia Cintora and Zoe Pawliczek April 14, 2026
Students and alumni of 91原创鈥檚 choral music program find a winning vocal combination
Members of the 91原创鈥檚 Delaware Choral Scholars (DCS) are fully prepared to do something hard. When they take the stage at the (EGP) on April 18, they will be competing against the world鈥檚 elite choral ensembles and performing challenging contemporary repertoire.
And this is after months of intense preparation and whirlwind travel to arrive at the EGP, which is being held in Maribor, Slovenia.
But for first-year graduate student Alondra Gonzalez, one of the hardest parts of the DCS experience has been adjusting to calling her former high school choir teacher by his first name.
鈥淲e鈥檙e working on transitioning to Tom,鈥 she said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a hard habit to break, but I started by dropping the 鈥楳r.鈥 and just calling him Kuchler.鈥
She鈥檚 making the change because the two singers are peers in DCS, not teacher and student.
The ensemble is a unique University group composed of current choral students and program alumni, many of whom are music teachers, who are selected in a blind audition process.
Stunning trajectory
91原创 Chorale ensembles have an impressive history of international tours and competition results, but DCS鈥檚 recent accomplishments are unprecedented.听
In 2024, DCS received four gold medals and three division wins at the World Choir Games in New Zealand, an accomplishment that earned them the number one spot on the .
This led to an invitation to compete in the 56th Tolosa Choral Competition in Spain in October 2025, where they took three first place prizes and the grand prize for top overall score.听
The Tolosa results in turn led to the EGP, where the winners of six competitions in Bulgaria, Italy, Hungary, Latvia, Slovenia and the Basque region of Spain compete for the top prize.听
鈥淭his has made Delaware choirs a household name,鈥 Paul D. Head, DCS director and Unidel Professor of Music and director of choral studies in the School of Music, said. 鈥淚 can show up somewhere on the other side of the world and people say, 鈥極h, Delaware! We know you.鈥濃澨
He said the ensemble鈥檚 unique composition is a key element of its success.听
鈥淭he amalgamation is key,鈥 Head said. 鈥淭he younger singers bring energy and optimism to the group, and the alumni raise the bar because they have the vocal maturity.鈥澨
Learning from each other
The combination was a natural progression for dedicated choral singers 鈥 students and alumni 鈥 who want to push themselves harder to achieve more.听
For student members, it offers an extended learning and networking opportunity beyond their standard coursework.
鈥淭he music is very difficult and we learn at a fast pace, so having people I can go to for guidance is so helpful,鈥 Gonzalez said. 鈥淏eing able to turn to the people next to me and just ask them, 鈥楬ey, how does this go?鈥 or, 鈥榃hat is this rhythm?鈥 is the biggest help.鈥
Stephanie Gilmour, a junior majoring in mechanical engineering with minors in mathematics and computer engineering, said that being one of the few members who does not study music is an extra challenge.听听
鈥淲orking with seasoned musicians quickly forced me into becoming one myself in order to retain my position in the choir,鈥 she said. 鈥淭hrough the kindness and sheer skill of the members of this choir, I have grown into a stronger musician than I ever thought possible.鈥
Tom Kuchler, who graduated in 2016 with a bachelor of music in music education, is the director of performing arts at Conwell-Egan Catholic High School in Fairless Hills, Pennsylvania. He called DCS the 鈥渂est professional development for choir teachers that exists.鈥澨
鈥淚t鈥檚 a sort of shot in the arm of energy and enthusiasm," Kuchler said. 鈥淭he time commitment is tough, but to get something meaningful you need to put the time and energy into it. It always ends up being worth it.鈥澨
He said he gets inspiration from watching accomplished choirs perform, and he takes that back to his classroom.听
Full circle moments
Despite the low-key awkwardness of what to call each other 鈥 鈥淚 yell it every time. I'm not Mr. Kuchler anymore!鈥 Kuchler laughed 鈥 DCS members embrace their music-making community.听
Kuchler loves that his alma mater is the nurturing environment he remembers.听
鈥淪eeing that 91原创 is still doing a great job of preparing music educators and incredible musicians makes me feel good about the profession,鈥 he said.
Gonzalez chose 91原创 based in large part on his recommendation, and it turned out to be the right choice.听
鈥淚 first learned to love choral music in his classroom. Now, having the opportunity to be in this high-level, high-achieving choir that is so passionate and focused is a dream come true,鈥 she said
She is also discovering more of her former teacher鈥檚 personality.听
鈥淗e can be a little bit of a clown during rehearsal,鈥 she said. 鈥淲e try to have fun and be productive, but he lets his personality show. I鈥檓 like, 鈥極h, he鈥檚 really funny.鈥欌澨
And Kuchler is seeing his former student grow up.听
鈥淣ow when I see her I consider her a colleague and a peer,鈥 he said.
Competition day
DCS has traveled and competed frequently, but the big day still brings excitement.听
鈥淚 can鈥檛 wait to share music-making on an international stage once again and feel the joy and emotional release of our performance,鈥 said Xander Costas, a junior majoring in applied music with a minor in neuroscience.听
Naturally there is pressure to perform well, but no matter what the final results are, DCS will always have that special Blue Hen connection.听
鈥淭he best thing about the experience is the community aspect, and the friendships, and the connections,鈥 Kuchler said. 鈥淧rofessional connections, personal connections, I think it is a living, breathing organism.鈥澨
The 2026 European Grand Prix for Choral Singing begins at 11:30 a.m. on April 18. (5:30 p.m. Central European Time)
Delaware audiences can watch the competition on听.听
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