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Warrior Post
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Chamber Singers shine at national ACDA convention
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Issue No. 4 25 March 2013 Martin High School
Cinderella Martin Girls volunteer with the Boys and Girls Clubs
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Mr. MHS Recap
Photo by Karsen Cinquepalmi
Chamber Singers performed at a public concert March 5 at Trinity United Methodist Church. Martin choir received a standing ovation at the ACDA conference and were praised by members and attendees for their talent and showmanship. Photo by Karsen Cinquepalmi
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Emma Bruce • Designer
can’t think of another way to describe it besides calling it the Olympics of choir,” choir director Kay Owens said. “This is a huge deal for us.” March 13 and 14, the Chamber Singers, a select group of 36 choir students, sang at the national ACDA (American Choral Directors Association) convention in Dallas. Approximately 5,000 choral directors attended the convention from across the globe. With such a knowledgeable audience, the pressure was on to put on an unforgettable performance, and that takes a lot of practice. “On top of double blocking, we had 90-minute rehearsals every Thursday night,” assistant choir director Betsy Clark said. “Sometimes we had clinicians come to these rehearsals to give us some feedback.” While getting ready for the performance takes months of preparation and practice, being chosen to perform at the convention takes just as much hard work.
“To be chosen to perform, you have to send in recordings from three consecutive years of choirs,” Owens said. “The recordings are sent to a committee and then the groups are chosen. Martin was one of the seven high school choirs in the entire country asked to perform.” A high school choir being asked to perform at the ACDA convention is rare. Not only is it rare that the Chamber Singers were selected, but also that the Arlington High School Men’s choir was selected to perform as well. This puts a spotlight on the school district. “Two choirs coming from the same district really says something about the music departments in that district,” Owens said. “Our music departments are severely lacking in funding. I’m hoping that because of us the school board sees the talent in the music programs of our district and understands the importance of our funding.” Both the Chamber Singers and the Arlington High School Men’s choir sang at the school board meeting March 7. Al-
though the Chamber Singers are in the minority as one of the few high school choirs performing, the directors want the choir to stand out in their performance even more. “I’ve selected the music not only based on what I know the choir will do well, but also by what I know will stand out,” Owens said. “I want our program to take the audience on a journey.” The choir’s performance ranges from an Indian raga to a comedic version of Old McDonald in Latin. While the choir has been hard at work, they can see the light at the end of the tunnel. The Chamber Singers received a standing ovation on both performances. The applause rang out long after the choir had left the stage. “It’s a great feeling having months of hard work pay off,” senior Michael Bailey. “Words can’t describe the feeling of getting such a fantastic response. “This performance is a once-in-a-lifetime chance and is such an honor,” senior Nikki Weaver said.