300 concert choir students from high schools across the metro breathed new life into classical art, performing right alongside the professionals Sunday at the Holland Performing Arts Center.Students from Abraham Lincoln, Bellevue West, Bennington, Creighton Prep, Millard South and Omaha North sang in Brahms’ German Requiem with the professional orchestra of the Omaha Symphony.”A master work of the choral orchestral repertoire,” Chorus Master Barron Breland said. “Music that doesn’t get to be performed unless you have these kinds of forces to do it.”Breland says Choral Collaborative is unlike anything in America.”I don’t think there’s another program like this in the country where a professional symphony orchestra will bring this many high school students together,” he said.27 years in the running, it’s still having a profound impact.”One of the high school choir directors came to me and pointed out one of his young students and said that girl right there told me that this experience has changed her life,” Breland said.Raegan Rains says joining Choral Collaborative did just that.”Ever since then, my life has changed because I love this opportunity,” Rains said.The Bellevue West student says getting trained by professional soloists and conductors has brought her talent for singing to a crescendo.”Get to sing with an orchestra, which is, it’s breathtaking, to hear professionals, and work with professionals and be taught by someone like Maestro Richardson who just has so much knowledge to give,” Rains said.The Omaha Symphony sends the conductor, choral master and professional soloists to work with students at each high school, helping them read music by sight and high level singing technique.But behind the scenes are each choir programs directors.”The lion’s share of the work is actually done in the high schools. So the directors of these choruses, incredible music educators in our community, work with the students for months to get this work together and then the symphony just gets to pop in at the end and see the project across the finish line,” Breland said.But there was more to learn than just the melodies. The students sang for an hour and a half, completely in German.”I’ve also learned German pronunciation, as like a side, like oh it’s very neat,” Rains said.She says being a part of this challenging piece of music is an experience of a lifetime.”You’ve gotten to sing this beautiful piece of music accompanied by an orchestra, and you just know it’s done and you’ve completed this great thing, that not everybody gets to do. I think that’s the best feeling,” Rains said.