Five named to regional Honor Choir

By: Sarah Stortz

On Oct. 1, nine audition tapes were digitally sent to South Dakota featuring the singing voices of nine talented CFHS students. Weeks later, word got back to the CFHS choir department that six of those nine students were accepted to perform in the North Central American Choral Directors Association Regional Honor Choir.

These students include senior Libby Swartley, junior Dani McCombs, junior Aastha Chandra, sophomore Maia Clasby, senior Harrison Sims and sophomore Makenna Carroll.

In order to prepare for this audition, the students have spent a month prior by recording a sample of themselves singing 16 measures of a piece, a scale on the top and bottom of their range and a cover of “My Country, ‘Tis Of Thee” in a certain key.

The NCACDA honor choir is known to be exceptionally selective, only accepting around 170 students not only from Iowa, but also from other midwestern states such as North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Minnesota and Wisconsin.

The concert is scheduled for Feb. 20 in Sioux Falls. Before the performance, the students will arrive in Sioux Falls two days early to rehearse all day Thursday and Friday and stay in a hotel for two nights during the trip.

“It’s not something that many people get in, and [the choir] has a very wide variety,” McCombs said. Clasy was also excited over being accepted. “I wasn’t 100 percent sure on what it was. It was just something I wanted to audition for,” Clasby said. “I’m really excited because it’s a huge honor, and it’s really amazing that all of us got in.”

The honor choir only occurs every other year, meaning that students like Carroll and Clasby have another chance during their senior years.

“There will be more people coming in since it happens every other year, so we don’t know [if we’ll be accepted again,]” Carroll said. “Hopefully, we’ll be able to grow enough in our music that we’ll be back in.”

Choir teacher Eliott Kranz showed enthusiasm over the accepted students as well.

“I think it’ll be a great experience for those students, and I was happy to have even nine audition,” Kranz said. “I have been in the concert itself, and it was a wonderful experience working with students from all over the region to sing and make music together.”