February was a great month for the choir students at View Ridge Middle School. There were two honor choirs selected this month, and Sunset Ridge/View Ridge choir teacher Bobbe Whetsell had several students involved and selected.
On Feb. 5, the Lower Columbia River Music Educators Association (LCRMEA) selected students for their youth honor choir. Five VRMS choir students were selected to participate: seventh graders Chloe Craft, Lillian Hulegaard, and Chase Patterson, and; eight graders Emma Chapin and Marie Martinez. These students learned music independently and then came together with other students from around the region to perform at a concert. There were 82 total students selected.
The second honor choir was the all-state honor choir held on Feb. 19 in Yakima. Three VRMS students were selected after submitting an audition to a panel of judges for state selection. These students were seventh graders Jaisey Pace and Quinlan Fronsoe, and eighth grader Ethan Dulay. Again, these students learned their music independently and came together to a united rehearsal and gave a concert the evening of the 19th. Pace was also selected out of more than 60 students who auditioned to be a soloist at this concert. Dulay was also selected to introduce a song at the concert.
“The students were all so excited to be a part of these choirs, and it is quite an accomplishment to be selected,” said Whetsell. “Traditionally, there are around 1,500 students from around the state auditioning for the all-state choir. They didn't announce how many this year, but there were 91 students in the treble choir and 53 students in the mixed choir. These kids deserve to be celebrated!”