Choirs long awaited journey to state arrives

The choir team reflects on their progress post-COVID

Here%2C+the+theater+group+is+pictured+following+their+performance.+The+team+received+recognition+for+their+hard+work.

Anna Hedgepeth

Here, the theater group is pictured following their performance. The team received recognition for their hard work.

On Friday, May 5, 2023, WVHS’ choir troup voyaged to Oregon State University to partake in the annual event commemorating choir teams across the region. The teams overall impression of state choir and how the competition initially 

Meredith Krecklow, a junior and member of the choir team, panned in on her team’s ability to persist and evolve in the midst of a global pandemic. She expressed her team’s goal to “get all aspects of the choir back up to pre-COVID standards.” She has noticed a significant improvement in her team’s delivery and skillful components shining through during their performances.

Anna Hedgepeth, a junior and member of the choir described the preparations for state mentioning the team’s involvement “with a bunch of clinicians to get [them] better,” as well as an in depth study of the songs and material, to fulfill their desired goal, therefore, becoming competition ready.

Despite the quality of singing that her team delivered, altercations arose involving “multiple schools that moved down,” and further complicated the overall functioning of judgment and competition, making the achievement of victory harder to complete

Henry Weber, a junior, as well as a featured choir performer, compared the overall environment and dynamic within the choir states grounds to other traditionalized sports. He noted that the adversarial component was friendly and he noticed that all the students were “encouraging each other,” and “enjoying the overall experience.”

Weber’s initial feelings were driven by his nervousness, but he “was amazed by some of the other choirs,” and left feeling satisfied. Even though he wasn’t confident the team’s performance was perfect, he concluded that the team was overall content with the outcome.

I’m excited to see what we do next year.

— Anna Hedgepeth

The choir teams exceeding standards have shown that they’re work ethic, and strong rebound following the pandemic, have driven them to a point of victory. The unified team’s qualities will plan to grow in the foreseeable future.