For the first time in school history, Chamber Choir was offered the opportunity to perform at Kansas Music Educators Association. Being chosen for KMEA, a state music convention that takes place in Wichita, requires choirs to send in audition tapes and be selected from a pool of auditioners where only two choirs in the state of Kansas are selected.
Senior Neely Morrison noted that prestige and competition surrounding KMEA make Chamber Choir’s invite incredibly significant.
“Your ensemble has to be invited on merit and talent alone,” Morrison said. “The KMEA spectators are a very discerning audience, everyone watching the performance is a musically educated individual, who will be able to tell how well prepared your ensemble is.”
Chamber Choir is performing eight pieces this year at KMEA, all of which vary in sound and style. Senior Kiefer Bullock emphasized the extreme amount of practice that has gone toward KMEA.
“We didn’t do this last year, and by this time, we were working on a lot of our encore songs and other things like that.” Bullock said. But the focus has been on this concert this year because we really want to represent Free State well and represent our choir teachers really well.”
After performing at KMEA, singers will be given critiques to help them improve for future years. Junior Natalie Narum stated that the critiques are an important part of helping singers learn and improve.
“It’s a really good opportunity to grow as a choir, we work hard each day to eventually perform in front of a panel of judges and get feedback and a rating on how our work has paid off,” Narum said.
This year KMEA performances will take place in the Mary Teal Theater. Once at KMEA, performers can use whatever background music they choose or sing acapella, as long as they stay within the 30 minute time limit. According to Choir Director Joshua East, Chamber Choir has been preparing since August for this concert.
“It’s a pretty prestigious thing to get to be selected for,” East said. “It’s one of those events that you plan for the whole school year, and that finally happens in February…It’s really the whole year that works towards 30 minutes of time.”
