Oh, Say, Can You Sing?

Attendees of last night's City Council meeting were treated to a rousing choral rendition of the national anthem.

Michael Hayden, choir director for Mira Costa High School, brought half of the school's Vocal Ensemble along to the meeting and led the students in performing "The Star-Spangled Banner" as a prelude to the night's official business.

Earlier this year, the students were invited to take part in an international festival on the island of Syros, Greece. The group will join with a choir from Ionian University in Corfu to create the opera chorus for the festival's production of Carmen.

"We're in major rehearsal right now, learning a lot of French and learning a lot of gorgeous opera melodies," Hayden told those attending the council meeting. The group is in the midst of a fundraising drive to pay for the excursion.

Mira Costa is the first high school to be invited to the event and the only American group featured in the festival's Sunset Series of concerts. Stay tuned for an upcoming story on the group's big trip.