Four Ponca City Senior High School students have been selected for All-State Choirs. Being selected for the All-State Choirs represents a significant achievement for Oklahoma high school singers. Over 2,000 students state-wide audition with only about 200 earning a place in the choirs.
The rigorous audition process begins with students learning and perfecting four challenging pieces of music. Summer camps, workshops, and many hours of after-school rehearsal lead up to the first audition in October. Students sing selections from three of the four songs and are scored on a rubric by three judges. Singers who score above the “cut-off” number move on to the second round of auditions in November. Singers who score above the “cut-off” number after the second round become members of one of the two All-State choirs.
After selection, students must learn additional music, and prior to the first rehearsal, there is a third round of auditions to ensure all the singers are prepared. The All-State Choir rehearsals and performances take place during the Oklahoma Music Educators Conference held in January. Students attend intensive rehearsals with world-renowned clinicians for three days and perform on the Tulsa Performing Arts Center stage.
From left-right: Audrey Caughlin (11th grade Treble Choir), Ashlee Patterson (10th grade Treble Choir), Nikolas Hoecker (10th grade Mixed Choir), Dawson Richter (12th grade Mixed Choir)
