ISU women and Iowa high school singers will combine voices Saturday night to celebrate the centennial of Sigma Alpha Iota, Iowa State’s women’s music fraternity.

Rehearsals for the event will begin Friday with the arrival of Lynn Gackle, founder of the Gulf Coast Youth Choirs in Tampa, Fla., and conductor of La Petite Choeur, an advanced touring ensemble.

Gackle was chosen based on her experience with high school and college students, says Kathleen Rodde, director of ISU women’s choirs.

“[Gackle] has a national reputation for working with both high school and college students,” says Rodde, adjunct assistant professor of music. “I think both high school and college women will be able to learn from her.”

Rodde has also seen Gackle direct choirs in the past, she says.

“I watched her work before with our [American Choral Directors Association] Women’s Choir in Minneapolis,” Rodde says. “She was so inspiring — it was one of the highlights of the competition.”

Under the direction of Gackle, 250 women from the Ames, Ankeny, Maquoketa and Valley high school choirs, as well as the Riverside Singers of Augsburg College in Minneapolis, will participate.

Rodde says she chose these high schools because of their strong vocal programs. She asked the directors at these schools to select a group of women from their choirs to take part.

“I knew [the high schools] had strong choral programs and knew the students chosen would come in well prepared,” she says.

Becky Christensen, senior in music, has been a singer of the Cantamus choir for three years and will participate in the festival.

“If anything, it will be fun to let [the high school students] see what we do as a college women’s choir and to show we can do challenging pieces,” Christensen says.

The concert will open with a performance by the Augsburg College choir. ISU choirs and high school choirs will each sing individual selections. The show will end with the three choirs joining voices to sing four pieces.

Rodde says she is excited about the selection of music for the concert, ranging from Bulgarian to gospel music.

“[Gackle and Rodde] not only picked four of my choirs’ most favorite pieces from the last few years, but these pieces will also highlight the full dynamic range of a 250-voice choir,” Rodde says.