FIVE SHIAWASSEE COUNTY HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS from Owosso Public Schools auditioned, were accepted and also attended the Michigan School Vocal Music Association (MSVMA) State Honors Choirs that performed in Grand Rapids on Saturday, Jan. 26.
Two of the students, Jake Hall and Autumn Weir, performed in the TTBB Honors Choir. TTBB stands for the configuration of tenor 1, tenor 2, bass 1 and bass 2 vocal parts. The three other students, Ava Fett, Wes LaVigne and Alex Elford, performed in the SATB Honors Choir. SATB stands for soprano, alto, tenor and bass.
Ms. Cheryl W. Valentine directed the TTBB Honors Choir, which performed arrangements from “How Lovely is Thy Dwelling Place” and “Bwana Awabarika,” amongst others. Janet Brodersen directed the SATB Honors Choir, which offered a rendition from “Lux Aeterna from A Child’s Requiem” by Thomas LaVoy. The LaVoy piece is inspired by the true story of 59 children that died in a Christmas Eve fire in 1913 in Calumet, a copper mining town in the U.P. This tragedy is sometimes referred to as the Italian Hall Disaster or the 1913 Massacre.
Jessica Nieuwkoop is the OHS vocal teacher that encouraged the students to audtion.
(Independent Photo/Karen Mead-Elford)
