From January 12 to January 14, freshman Christian Clausnitzer, sophomore Jacob Finkbeiner, junior Raahi Klar-Chaudhuri, and seniors Lexi Brown, Lauren Jardine, and Caleigh Schmid performed in the Pennsylvania Music Educators Association (PMEA) district chorus festival at Bangor High School. This selective choir was composed of 200 local high school students.

“[District chorus] brings together the best musicians from across our seven county area,” chorus teacher Mr. Matthew Wehr said. “I do think [qualifying for district chorus] is an honor for the music program to get the number of students we do. It reflects the quality of the music program and of the students’ work.”

In order to gain a spot in the district choir, students had to undergo a thorough audition process. They received their music a while in advance, and then had the responsibility to learn and perfect it before the start of the festival.

“I knew that districts, being selective among the best singers across a handful of counties, would be of a higher caliber as an ensemble than any other group I’ve been part of so far,” Klar-Chaudhuri said. “I thought it would be a [great] privilege to try out and be selected.”

The festivities of district chorus are similar to a rehearsal situation, but with a large group a students. It brings together the students selected from schools within the seven counties in our area, and  culminates in one or two public concerts. At districts, students have the opportunity to audition for the next round, which is regions.

While students are able to study the district audition piece months before the audition, they are unaware of the required piece for regional auditions. The audition included singing a portion of music to a panel of judges using sheet music they had quickly read beforehand.

“Being in district chorus has allowed me to meet new people and strengthen my relationships with my friends,” Brown said. “I am passionate about music because it is a way for me to find solace in daily life, escape, and do something I truly love at least once a day,”

The chorus is divided into the positions of soprano, alto, tenor, and bass, with each of those positions also being divided into two more positions. There are 25 singers on a part, making the 200 people in the chorus evenly balanced.

“Personally, being in districts caused my confidence as a singer to skyrocket,” Klar-Chaudhuri said. “Our district in particular is one of the strongest in the state, and I’m glad I got to be a part of a talented ensemble with such an amazing sound.”

Lauren Jardine and Caleigh Schmid have advanced to regions, which will be hosted by Lehigh Valley Charter High School for the Performing Arts at the Zoellner Arts Center at Lehigh University from February 23 to 25.