Choir constantly remains an influential part of everyday life here at Providence Academy.
The choir participates at Masses, concerts and holidays. It seems fair to say most everyone knows they sing well. But just how well?
This past February, the Academy Chorale and the Chamber choir participated in a sectional competition, both choirs receiving glowing reviews.
For the main choir competition, hosted by the Minnesota State High School League, the choir spent a lot of time preparing and practicing for it. This year, the choir competed in the MSHSL Large Ensemble Competition on Feb. 18.
In this competition, the choir sang two or three songs for a group of judges, who grade the choir on a 40 point scale. If the choir receives 35 points or higher, they receive a Superior Rating. PA’s Chamber Choir, Academy Chorale, Academy Men, and Academy Women all have competed and received Superior in the last few years.
During the competition, the choirs are recorded, and then have the recordings sent to the Minnesota Music Educators Association (MMEA). Over the summer, a group of judges blindly review the submitted tapes and select the top choirs in the state. Though the MSHSL does not name official state winners, those selected technically “won” state.
The judges then notify the winning choirs following their decision in August. The MMEA invite the winners to prepare a 30-minute concert to perform in front of choir directors at the MMEA Midwinter Convention. This year, the convention took place in early February, and PA’s chamber choir was one of only five choirs invited.
Mr. Richard Carrillo, the upper school choir director, stated, “for me, my favorite part is working on the same program for most of the year and the bonding that happens when an ensemble is working together for such an intense and worthwhile goal. I am so incredibly proud of all their work and for being selected as an MMEA State Honor Choir.”