This past October 17 choir students submitted an audition recording with hopes of earning a spot in the Texas Private School Music Educators Association (TPSMEA) All-State and Region Choirs. The recordings went through two rounds of judging and for a singer to make it into either of the groups they would need to be ranked high enough in each round.
In the first round – the Region round – the students’ auditions were judged against other students from Region 3, which includes private and homeschools from Houston, San Antonio, and Austin metros. To make the Region Mixed Choir, the student would need to end up being ranked in spots 1-16 in their specific voice parts. There is also a secondary group for females, the Region Treble Choir, and in order to make this choir the student needed to be ranked in spots 17-37. If a student was named to the Region Mixed Choir by being ranked in the top 16, then their audition would move onto the 2nd and final round.
In the final round – the All-State round – the students’ auditions would be judged against the top 16 singers from the other 2 regions, Region 1 and Region 2, which are the Dallas-Fort Worth area schools and then the rest of Texas. In order to make the All-State Choir, students would need to be ranked in the top 25 of their voice part.
Concordia ended up with some outstanding results after both rounds of auditions! In the Region round, 16 of the 17 singers ended up making either the Region Mixed Choir or the Region Treble Choir. 11 were named to the Mixed Choir (top 16) and five were finished in the Treble Choir.
The 11 singers who made the Region Mixed Choir had their auditions move on to the All-State Round. After the All-State Round of judging, eight of those 11 earned a spot in the All-State Choir! These results are a testament to the talent and continued standard of excellence that the choral program at CLHS maintains.
The following students earned a spot in the All-State Choir (ranked in top 25 of their voice part during the region round):
- Amelia Schmidt ‘27 – Soprano 1 (1st time selected)
- Kendall Miller ‘25 – Soprano 1 (1st time selected)
- Selena Lemmon ’25 – Soprano 2 (3rd time selected)
- Melissa Oblinger ‘24 – Alto 1 (3rd time selected)
- Vincent Neuhaus ‘27 – Tenor 1 (1st time selected)
- Lucas Winetrout ‘26 – Tenor 1 (1st time selected)
- Joseph Lyons ‘24 – Tenor 2 (1st time selected)
- Lyons was the 2nd overall ranked Tenor 2 in the All-State round. This is a wonderful achievement for a singer especially at the All-State level!
- Elijah Iwama ‘27 – Bass 2 (1st time selected)
The following students earned a spot in the Region 3 Mixed Choir (ranked in spots 1-16 of their voice part in the region round):
- Amelia Schmidt – Soprano 1
- Della Wallace ‘26 – Soprano 1
- Marley Wheless ‘26 – Soprano 1
- Kendall Miller – Soprano 1
- Selena Lemmon – Soprano 2
- Lemmon was the 1st overall ranked Soprano 2 in Region 3. This is a very high honor for a student to earn the 1st rank.
- Melissa Oblinger – Alto 1
- Oblinger was also the 1st overall ranked Alto 1 in Region 3. This is the first time CLHS has had 2 singers earn a 1st overall ranking in the region round!!
- Vincent Neuhaus – Tenor 1
- Lucas Winetrout – Tenor 1
- Joseph Lyons – Tenor 2
- Lucas Wallace-Hesson ’25 – Bass 1
- Elijah Iwama – Bass 2
The following students earned a spot in the Region 3 Treble Choir (ranked in spots 17-37 in their voice part in the region round):
- Chloe Carter ’24 – Soprano 1
- Mary Kate Moore ‘27 – Soprano 1
- Ella Reed ‘26 – Alto 1
- Kate Arego ‘25 – Alto 2
- Angie Elsisi ‘26 – Alto 2
Congratulations to all of these students for earning a spot in these choirs. We are so proud of the hard work, preparation, and dedication they showed to learn the music and record such quality auditions.
The Region 3 Weekend will be January 12-13th at St. Agnes Academy in Houston, and the All-State Weekend will be January 24-27th in Richardson, TX. During both of these events, the students will rehearse and spend time with honored directors before sharing a concert at the conclusion of the event.
To learn more about the Vocal Music program at Concordia, visit www.SaderNationTX.com/choir
Praise God from Whom ALL Blessings Flow!