DIS students perform in honor choir

Posted on: May 1, 2023

DIS students perform in honor choir

On Sat., April 29, six students from Delano Intermediate School traveled to St. Andrew's Lutheran Church in Mahtomedi to sing with more than 220 other 4th, 5th and 6th grade students in a sold out choir concert.

 

Congratulations to 6th grade students Avery Coder, Koralynn Feldmann, Evilyn Anderson, Katherine Burleson and 5th grade students Henry Koob and Emma Horch for proudly representing Delano at the American Choral Directors Association (ACDA) State Honor Choir Concert. 

 

This academic year, the  ACDA-MN sponsored seven special honor choir projects to provide enriched singing opportunities for more than 950 students in 4th through 10th grade.

 

To be selected for one of the competitive honor choirs, students from around the state, together with their directors, prepared an on-line “blind” audition that is scored by a selection committee. The association received 2400 auditions and 950 students were selected.

 

Sixteen 5th and 6th grade students from DIS auditioned this year and six were selected to participate.  "We have many fine singers at DPS," said Sandy Meyerson, DIS/HS Vocal and Classroom Music Teacher. "The audition process often comes down to just a point or two in scoring for selection to the honor choir.  Honor Choir students (besides being musically talented) are leaders in their home choirs, displaying a hard work ethic and are very coachable and dependable."

 

The performance is an enrichment opportunity for students to work on challenging repertoire with nationally known conductors. Students work to learn their parts with their music teachers and recordings, then meet for mass rehearsals from 8:30 a.m.  on their choir day, and perform to a sold-out audience at 5:30 p.m. that evening.    

 

Students pay to audition and attend the Honor Choir event. They receive a recorded CD of their concert, t-shirts, and lunch/snacks for the day's events. The audition fees help cover the cost of music, honorariums for guest conductors, accompanists, and the concert venue fees.