On Saturday, Nov. 2, more than 800 high school students from across the area descended on Flint Hill School in Oakton to audition for All-District Chorus. Bishop O'Connell is part of the VCDA District 12, which includes Arlington and Fairfax counties. The students auditioning on Saturday were from 16 different area high schools, public and private, including Oakton, Herndon, Marshall, James Madison, South Lakes, Flint Hill, Chantilly, Oakcrest, Langley, HB Woodlawn, Washington Lee, Yorktown, Wakefield, Madiera, McLean, and O'Connell.
The audition consisted of two parts: a prepared piece and a sight-reading example. This year, the prepared piece was an excerpt from Beethoven's "Halleluia" from the Mount of Olives. The audition was a blind audition, meaning the judges could not see the students and vice versa, and the students sang along to a recorded accompaniment. After the prepared piece, the student was given a short musical excerpt, and only 30 seconds in which to study it. After 30 seconds, the student would sing it and be graded on the accuracy of the rhythm and pitches.
At the end of the day, the scores were tabulated and the top students in each voice part were accepted, aiming for about 100 students in the Women's Choir and about 200 students in the Mixed Choir.
O'Connell students selected for the 9th and 10th grade Women's Choir were:
Isabel Fernandez (10th grade)
Eden Hentschel (10th grade)
Kayla Paolillo (10th grade)
Miranda Smith (9th grade)
Eleanor Vaughn (9th grade) was selected as an alternate.
The O'Connell students named to the Mixed Choir were:
Thalia Falcon (12th grade)
Meghan Mack (11th grade)
Cormac O'Donovan (12th grade)
Julian Powers (12th grade)
Jack Riordan (12th grade)
Grace Iekel and Brandon Love (both in 12th grade) were selected as alternates.
"We sent 38 students to audition on Saturday and I was very happy with all of their scores," said choral director Laura Meehan. "Even students who were not selected for the District Chorus had scores that were just barely below the cutoff point. I'm very encouraged, and I hope that the students are motivated to keep auditioning each year."
"Auditioning is a very specialized skill, in that you have to represent yourself in a very short amount of time, and under a great deal of pressure," adds Meehan. "I tell my students that just like any other skill, you can improve it with practice."
The District Chorus will rehearse together Feb. 13-15 at Marshall High School. They will perform together for the public on Feb. 15 at 2 p.m.