Choir students competed in the solo and ensemble competition January 30th, 31st, and February 1st. The students had the opportunity to compete with a solo piece or work with others for an ensemble piece. Students were given a score from 1 to 5, 1 being the best score possible, and after had the opportunity to move on to the second round at McCallum high school.

Junior Sydney LePage, under voice part Soprano 2, performed a solo piece and is moving on to the second round of the combination.

“I feel like solo and ensemble is more personal,” LePage said. “You get to choose what song really speaks to you, a fast song or a low song, and have the opportunity to perform it.”

LePage, like many others in choir, spend hours working towards having their piece performance ready.

“I practice a lot, and if I don’t have anywhere I can sing out loud I mainly just listen to my song,” LePage said. “I work on emotion behind the song, learning the history and meaning behind it so I can sing with that emotion.”

For the solo and ensemble competition, students dedicate time at home and in the classroom practicing their music, but the major focus is the audition. LePage, even though she has competed in this competition two times prior, says she still feels nervous singing in front of a judge.

“I feel like I was prepared, but I always get nervous when I have to sing in front of people,” LePage said. “I just go through the words and try to get all the notes right, but I think everything ended up coming together.”

Senior Sloan Dudley, choir president and under voice part Alto 2, performed a solo piece and is moving on to the second round of the combination. This is her fourth and final time competing in the competition on a high school level.

“I’ve always liked solo and ensemble because you get more freedom than in a choir,” Dudley said. “You are by yourself and you get to choose your music which lets you have more artistic freedom.”

Dudley said she enjoys the opportunity to have an experience of performing outside of the group.

“This is different because it is the only competition that is focused on you as a solo performer,” Dudley said. “It gives you an opportunity to demonstrate your strengths outside of the choir, and improve on yourself technically because there is no one else singing with you where you can hide your flaws.”