The CHIEF March\April 2020

ILMEA 2020: All - State Musicians

By Gabriel Travis

Winter Choir Concert From January 30th to February 1st, PTHS was proud to represent seven of our very musically- inclined students at the annual ILMEA All-State Festival. The students included Skylar Johnson, Madelyn Lee, Alaska Bennet, Callie Dalton, Mallory Dennis, and Gabriel Travis; one of the highest numbers of students PTHS has been proud to represent in years. The students were in three different groups during the ILMEA Festival: the All-State Choir, the Honor’s Choir, and the All-State Orchestra. Ms. Dalton and Mr. Travis were in the All-State Choir, under the direction of Dr. Jonathan Palant, singing songs such as Ezikel by Stacy Gibbs and When We Love by Elaine Hagenberg. Ms. Johnson, Ms. Schickel, Ms. Lee, and Ms. Bennet were all a part of the Honors Chorus, under the direction of Dr. Jeremy Jones, singing songs such as Ain't no Grave by an anonymous publisher and Muusika by Pärt Uusberg. Finally, Ms. Dennis played the flute among the All-State Orchestra, under the direction of Dr. Gary Lewis, performing pieces such as Symphony No. 8 in G Major by Antonin Dvořák and Danzón No. 2 by Arturo Márquez. In the end, all of these students came together to work hard and make beautiful music together leading them to a grand performance in all three groups for the 2020 ILMEA All-State Festival. “Songs of Life & Love” was the title for the Winter Choral Showcase concert this year. The performance was on February 20th and began with all Choir students on stage to sing “The Never Ending Story.” Between each group, soloists were showcased due to their outstanding rankings during the Music Department’ annual contest. These students included Olivia Schickel, Ava Nollen, Camille Stadler, and Skylar Johnson. Cantabile was the first choir to take the stage after the initial combined choir. Songs such as “Hello” and “Build Me Up Buttercup” were performed by this group. Men’s Choir was next to have the audience's attention. These students sang favorites such as “Always Look on the Bright Side of Life” and “I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles).” After the Men's Choir left the stage, the Route 66 Jazz choir sang “Revolution” and were followed up by Bel Canto. This choir sang hits such as “Fallin’” and “I Lived.” To end the Showcase, Concert Choir came to the stage. Opening up with “Home,” Concert Choir sang pieces such as “And So It Goes,” “Rise Up,” and an acapella arrangement of “Take On Me.” While this is the quickest turnaround for concerts, each choir enjoyed and performed well in all of their pieces. By Alyssa Rodriguez