The varsity chorale competed at the Morton H. Meyerson Symphony Center in Dallas on April 1. The choir also participated in UIL Concert and Sightreading contest for the first time in five years on April 11 in Whitehouse.

“I think the most gratifying thing for me is two fold: just being able to stand in front of them and get to listen to them in that venue,” choir director Casey Halbgewachs said. “Then just to see the satisfaction and the fulfillment that they got. It was fun to see their reaction and them enjoying what they had accomplished.”

The choir prepared for the contest at the Meyerson by taking three musical pieces from their spring concert and dissecting each piece vowel by vowel. Students worked during the choir class period to get ready to compete, eventually resulting in top ratings of I, I and II.

“It just feels really good,” senior Nate Steele said. “I know that we put in quite a bit of work with this almost every single day working with these songs trying to perfect them so that we could get this good of a rating.”

This competition was the choir’s first time to perform in such a highly esteemed venue. For some students, this contest and the upcoming UIL competition are all new experiences as well as performing in a venue of high stature.

“The funny thing is, I didn’t even know it was a competition until we walked out and were about to take a picture and they handed Mr. H a little trophy,” junior Daisy Duran said. “Now I am very excited because I’ve never competed in UIL.”

After the first competition, the students continued to fine tune their program to compete in Whitehouse. The choir received ratings of II, II and I on stage for their concert performance and I, I and II in the sight reading portion of the contest.

“They’re awesome kids, and I’m honored to be their director,” Halbgewachs said. “They work really hard. I expect a lot out of them, they expect a lot out of me, and we work together well.”