Just this past Saturday, students in choir headed down to Fort Zumwalt East early in the morning for their Solo and Small Ensemble performance. This year’s contest ended with 13 gold awards, four more than last year, and seven more than the year before. They have been practicing since the beginning of January once a week learning new songs for their contest. These students will be judged on their ability to sing the music off the book, their tone, and how expressive they can be while singing.

Students from both Select Treble and Chamber Choir are able to compete as either a soloist or as a part of an ensemble. “I’ve seen so much growth in all the students singing this weekend, and I am incredibly proud of them regardless of their rating,” Mr. Datz said. “I’ve seen more discipline and hard work from students than I ever had in previous years, and that to me is the measure of their success.”

When asked what made her want to compete in this event, freshman Sage Kennedy who is a soloist had this to say “Personally I want to grow as a performer, and going in front of a judge while singing two solo songs feels like a good way to learn where I need to improve.” When asked why he chose an ensemble over a solo, senior Anthony Bruns who is a part of the Rey TBB Sextet said “Being a part of an ensemble appealed to me more because you’re working with a smaller amount of people unlike a large choir like Chamber Choir, so it feels more personal.”

Listed below are the soloist and ensemble members along with their ranking. There are three types of rating that are given to those that compete. Exemplary, Outstanding, and Satisfactory. An Exemplary rating will move that ensemble or soloist onto state and they will perform their songs for another judge on Friday, April 26. No matter what the rating someone receives is, going up in front of a judge and singing alone is commendable.