On October 21, students from across the state went into audition rooms in Washington, Iowa in the hopes of gaining a coveted spot at the All-State Music Festival. Almost 1,100 students will perform in the selected 600 member choir, 280 member band, and 200 member orchestra on November 18 at Iowa State University. Those chosen represent the top musicians in Iowa. It is a very prestigious honor to be selected.
Eighteen singers from the Pleasant Valley Choir program were chosen to be a part of the All-State Choir. Students making it for the first time are: Sophia Dahm, Molly Dippel, Dalton Hout, Avery Luepker, Christine Lyon, Kaylin McNeal, John Mendelin, Natalie Murphy, and Rece Vining. Returning for their second year as All-State participants are: Alex Jungers, Nathan Lyon, Roshni Nair, Brendan Roethler, Sean Wallace, and Madison Wells. Halle Fish and Ellie Lindmark were chosen for the third year in a row. Bailey Connors was the first PV choir student to be selected all four years.
Many of the choir students started preparing at the beginning of August. Choir teacher Meg Byrne said, “We had over 40 students trying for the 28 audition spots that we are given by the state. Once we narrowed it down to the 28 students, they were placed in quartets and those groups practiced together just about every day outside of class.” Guest conductors, such as Allen Chapman, even came to the school to help the singers perfect their music as much as possible.
Ellie Lindmark, a member of the PV Chamber Choir, said, “For the audition, we go into a room and sing the assigned cuts. The audition lasts about seven minutes. We didn’t actually find out the results until 6-7 p.m. that night. My favorite part about All State is getting into quartets and making new friends. After a while your quartet becomes like family. My advice to someone aspiring to be a part of All State would be to be confident, show the judges how much you want to be there, and smile!”
The Pleasant Valley choir had a very successful day. Byrne said, “I was very pleased with the level of preparation this year’s auditioning students put in, and I think it led them to great results on audition day. I was thrilled with how they did.”
Nine members of the Pleasant Valley Band were selected to be a part of All-State, along with two alternates. Selected band members are: Regan Breen (horn), Kade Coudron (trumpet), Aditya Desai (flute), Ethan Good (trumpet), Vivek Joshi (percussion), Sam McGrath (bass clarinet), Brenna Morley (clarinet), and Kaitlyn Ryan (clarinet). Ethan Good (trumpet) and Claire Thomsen (flute) have been selected for the past three years. Cassie Smith (horn) and Keshav Wagle (oboe) were selected as alternates.
Claire Thomsen is a member of the Pleasant Valley Band. She was selected for All State Orchestra, which is the highest honor a band student can receive. She has been selected as an orchestra member two of her three times at All State, including this year. All State Orchestra takes a select few from each section of the band and plays very difficult music. Thomsen said, “I practiced mostly independently with private lessons. My audition went better than I thought and I got recalled. Most of the day you sit around waiting which can be stressful.”
Nine students were selected from the Pleasant Valley Orchestra to be a part of All State. This includes Annie Warner (violin, 3rd year), Christina Li (violin), Kiran Marla (violin), Dan Kim (violin, 2nd alternate), Daniela Rybarzcyk (viola, 2nd year), Ruth Davidson (viola, 2nd year), Alyssa Paulson (bass), Connor Miller (bass), and Veronica Henderson (harp, 3rd year).
Preparation for orchestra began on July 25th, when the excerpts for the auditions were released. The students had to prepare a solo, learn seven excerpts of the selected piece of that year and learn all the scales on their particular instrument.
“I got into lessons at the University of Iowa at least twice a week while practicing 1-2 hours everyday outside of that lesson,” said Ruth Davidson, a member of the Pleasant Valley Orchestra. “I enjoy playing in the Iowa State Hilton Coliseum. I get to meet tons of other people across the State of Iowa who love doing what I love. I would advise anyone who wishes to try out next year to work your hardest and put everything you have into your practice. Be confident in your music and have fun while doing it!” Davidson said.
Pleasant Valley had an astonishing turn out this year at All-State. The choir, band, and orchestra members worked tirelessly to make their mark at the auditions. They will be performing at Iowa State on November 18.
