On December 2, at 5:30 in the morning, twelve brave singers and their fearless leader departed for a day of singing, singing, and singing. Emily Haan, Leah VanDerLaan, Tyler Elliot, Clint Bylsma, Katie VanWhye, Lauren Hoekstra, Nicole Gibbard, Carissa Katje, Kate DeKryger, Elaine Vasquez, David Vasquez, and Hannah Vincent were all selected for the regional honors choir, a unique choir composed of the singers from many different schools. Each of these singers were recorded individually singing an assigned audition piece, and a panel of judges evaluated them based on several specific categories such as tone quality, pitch accuracy, and musicality, and chose them to be a part of this elite choir. They memorized four songs each—two all-girls pieces, two all-guys pieces, and two combined pieces—prior to the concert and at Flushing High School from 8:00am-3:30pm on that Saturday, they spent time rehearsing these pieces as a whole choir and in sectionals. The concert took place at 4:00pm and was a great display of musicianship and skill. Six of our twelve singers advanced to state honors choir: Emily Haan, Tyler Elliot, Carissa Katje, Kate DeKryger, Elaine Vasquez, and David Vasquez. State honors choir will take place on January 25-27 of 2018; the concert will be on the 27th.
Emily Sall, a senior who plays the violin, was chosen for the state honors orchestra, which will also take place on January 25-27 of 2018.
Article written by Hannah Vincent
