In the nearly two years she’s spent as a member of the National Cathedral Choir, the oldest symphonic choir in Washington, D.C., Grace Kiver has had the opportunity to sing at some of the country’s most high-profile events, including the funeral of former President Jimmy Carter in January, where the choir sang alongside the Armed Forces Chorus and the U.S. Marine Chamber Orchestra. 

Between six performances a week, daily rehearsals, and an ever-evolving repertoire of songs, the job is demanding. But for Kiver ’18 A&A, singing new music every day is as exciting as it is challenging, and the discipline it requires has greatly sharpened her musical abilities—which were called upon in April at the 50th anniversary celebration of Eisenhower Auditorium. On that evening, half an hour before a performance of Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9, the scheduled tenor soloist was suddenly unable to sing. Kiver’s father, Penn State director of choral activities Christopher Kiver, asked his daughter if she would fill in. She agreed—and though she is a mezzo-soprano, she successfully sight-read and performed a piece of music she’d never sung before.

Kiver realized how much she loved singing in a choir during the COVID-19 lockdown and decided then that choral music was her chosen path. “Choral music is an incredibly human thing, and it brings joy, togetherness, and community,” she says.

The role with the National Cathedral Choir allows Kiver, who has a master’s degree in music from the University of Cincinnati’s College-Conservatory of Music, to mentor local boys’ and girls’ choirs in the D.C. area. She also spends a few months each year touring with musical groups, including the Grammy-winning choir Conspirare, and she conducts children’s music workshops with the VOCES8 Foundation, the philanthropic arm of the renowned British a cappella octet. —Madeline Marriott