This past weekend, eleven choral students from Hickman attended the Northeast Missouri District Choir festival at Moberly High School. The eight students in the junior-senior ensemble had the opportunity to audition for the Missouri All-State Choir. Out of all of the students who auditioned, three Hickman seniors were admitted directly to the choir with another as an alternate. Claire Nieder made All-State as a soprano, along with Raya Aberbach and Madison Rowe as altos, and Lauren Wagner as the Alto first alternate.

Each student prepared on their own, but also prepared the audition song, Locus iste, in class. “We ended up learning it in choir and singing it at our concert, so that was really helpful in preparing,” said Aberbach.  “I also sang it with the track that we were going to use at the all-state audition, leading up to the actual day.”

Stress levels were high following the lead up to the audition. “When it came to auditioning, I was actually one of the first people to try out and it was at 9:30 in the morning,” said Rowe. “I was very scared that I would sound awful because I wasn’t fully awake.”

The entire group is eagerly looking forward to the Missouri All-State Festival. It will be Nieder’s second time going, and the first time for Aberbach, Rowe, and Wagner.

“The thing I’m most looking forward to is to experience it with my other friends, and just to be able to show them what I know from my experience last year, and just to be able to sing with them and spend free time with them too, but also meeting new people,” said Nieder. “That’s the most fun part about it, you’re surrounded by people who love music just as much as you do, and want to work hard in choir just as much as you do, so that’s what I’m looking forward to.”