Show Choir in VA over April Break
Clara Strong || STAFF WRITER
Andover High School’s three show choirs traveled to Williamsburg, Virginia for three days during April Break, to perform and compete, winning first, second, and third place in the show choir category.
On April 24, 44 students and 6 chaperones involved in the AHS show choir program flew to Virginia. They competed on the 25th and attended a workshop with a choral professor before going to Busch Gardens Amusement Park and touring a reenactment of Colonial Williamsburg.
“The competition was not only for choirs, but also for bands, orchestras, jazz bands, jazz choirs,” said Dr. Lauren Peithmann, the show choir director. “In the category of show choir, we won first, second, and third place, which is pretty awesome. We’re happy with that.”
“It was cool seeing all of the other choirs, and we got rated really highly.” said Rielyn Leahy, a freshman in Nothing But Treble (NBT), the show choir for high (treble) voices. The other two show choirs are Back to Bassics (BTB) for low (bass) voices, and From Start to Finish (FSTF), a mixed choir for all voices.
Of all show choirs, FSTF placed first, NBT placed second, and BTB placed third. They also placed second, fourth, and sixth, respectively, out of all 27 choirs at the festival. “Also, Grace Lilley (a senior in FSTF) got Best Vocalist of the entire competition, which is a huge accomplishment,” explained Anna Bacchi, a senior in NBT and FSTF.
“We also… did a clinic with a professor at the College of William and Mary. The choral professor there, Dr. Jamie Bartlett, worked with all three of our choirs, which was awesome.” Peithmann said. “It was really lovely to see another person work with the choir directly, give them feedback, and help them to sound even better and do even better in performing.”
While this was their last competition, the show choirs still have two more performances this year. “We have our home show on May 19, which is the last time that we’ll perform our competition sets,” Bacchi explained. “We also have the Alumni Cabaret on June 4, where all the alumni (including the seniors who will have just graduated) are welcomed back to do solos, duos, and small group numbers.”
Show choir auditions for next year will happen on the week of May 19. Email Dr. Peithmann at lauren.peithmann@andoverma.us for more information.
