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17 Students From Hazelwood West Named to 3 St. Louis All-Suburban Choirs
Seventeen students from Hazelwood West High School were selected as members of three St. Louis All-Suburban choirs – Freshmen/Sophomore Honor Choir, Junior/Senior Honor Choir and Women’s Honor Choir. One student was also named to the Missouri All-State Honor Choir.
Tim Arnold, choir director at Hazelwood West, said nearly 500 students from high schools throughout St. Louis County auditioned.
Students selected to the St. Louis All-Suburban Freshmen/Sophomore Choir include sophomores Tori Baker, Joe Bingham, Austin Boulch, Diana Dawson, Maggie Gibson, Armande Jefferson, Sydni Libhart, Laura Lococo, Sean Loreaux, Drew Mizell and Tori Nelson, as well as freshman Trayvon Thomas.
The St. Louis All-Suburban Junior/Senior Choir includes Alyssa Burks, senior, and juniors Kenny Kabak and Minerva Keller. Kabak was also named to the Missouri All-State Honor Choir.
The St. Louis All-Suburban Women’s Honor Choir includes Lexie Knox, junior, and Elizabeth McCaughan, senior.
Every student Arnold nominated for the freshmen/sophomore choir was selected.
The auditions for the junior/senior and women’s choir required a “standard, high school level vocal solo,” said Arnold. “The songs are selected from a list of books determined by the St. Louis Area Missouri Choral Directors Association. Students were also asked to sight-sing and identify key signatures. Twenty-six students auditioned from Hazelwood West,” he said.
“While I am pleased with the number of students involved, I know that we can involve even more students in the years to come.”
The students have to audition for the choir each year. The choirs performed at a concert in early November at Lindenwood University.
The process for the All-State Honor Choir is different, Arnold explained. “To make this choir, students must be the absolute best of the best. Many of these students will be offered college scholarships based on their participation in this choir,” said Arnold.
All-State Honor Choir members will rehearse for eight hours as a group. In January, they will go to the Missouri Music Educators Conference and rehearse for three days, which will culminate in a performance at Tan-Tar-A Resort on Jan. 29, 2011.
Kabak is the first student from Hazelwood West High School selected to the Missouri All-State Choir in years. Previously, five students were named to the choir in 1991, 1994, 1995, 1996 and 1999. Hazelwood West High School was the only HSD school to participate in the audition process.
