Making a Difference One Show Tune at a Time

Christie Stone has dreams of one day being a country singer.

The 22-year-old Dundalk resident is so determined to make her dream a reality that she plans eventually to move to Nashville, the country music capital of the world. In the meantime, Stone is among 13 local singers honing their craft, while making a difference in their community as part of the “On a High Note” show choir.

On A High Note is comprised of performers, ages 12-26, from throughout the region, including Dundalk, Perry Hall, Essex-Middle River, Harford County and Anne Arundel County.

Founded in 2008, by local theater musical director Gennifer Morgereth, the group has performed Broadway music across the Mid-Atlantic region. The all-volunteer group preforms for free, mainly for community and charitable organizations.

Most recently, On a High Note performed at the Wilson Point Fourth of July parade. The group also displayed its talents on Friday as one of the acts at the benefit for the family of fallen firefighter Mark Falkenhan, held at Columbus Gardens in Perry Hall.

“We just love performing and spreading a positive message,” Stone said. “We have become such a tight-knit family.”

Morgereth said she formed the group in order to give several of the talented young people with who she had been working an opportunity to perform Broadway songs for the community outside of the theatre.

Practically all of the members of the group were originally performers with The Sky is the Limit community theater in Dundalk. Typically, Morgereth said, members are recruited into the group rather than holding annual tryouts.

The group typically practices from January through September and has performed as many as six shows in a weekend. Among the causes the group has supported with song and places where they have preformed are: the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure, the Harmony Hills Retirement Community in Columbia, Protestant Community United Church of Christ in Essex, the 100th Anniversary Celebration of Essex and the Glenn L. Martin 1940s reunion.

“We have so many talented young people and I wanted to offer them another avenue for them to display those talents,” Morgereth said. “Each person offers their own talents to the group from singing to dancing to even choreography.”

Rachel Bailey, 18, of Kingsville, said performing for On a High Note is a big commitment, but it also comes with great reward.

“We’re really able to put a smile on a lot of people’s faces,” she said. “It’s so much fun to perform all over the region. It takes a lot of coordination and sometimes, because of prior commitments, we don’t know who will be at a performance until the day of the event. We work with what we got. All of the work is so worth it.”