![Hosting the SCLA Casptone Mentor Dinner outside allowed for more attendees on September 27, 2021 at Silver Creek. This event would’ve usually been held inside. According to Lauren Kohn, a SCLA 12 teacher, “If we have a higher number of people, as long as we can host the event outside, then that seems to be keeping every[one] safe”.](https://schsnews.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/sxMAIGbSYGodZkqmrvTi5YWcJ1ssWA08ApkeMLpp-900x675.jpeg)
Performing on the same stage as Broadway shows and world-renowned performers is many high school choral students’ dream. Yet, that is exactly what Silver Creek students experience when they are accepted into the All-State Choir program.
Each year, Silver Creek sends roughly 10 students to a three-day workshop and performance in Denver, where they work with top choir students from across the state and world-class technicians.
Silver Creek choir director Jeremy Skelton said he is proud of his students who are chosen to go to All-State and believes it is an incredible opportunity.
“It is a very prestigious event that brings in singers from across the state of Colorado, working on exceptional repertoire with exceptional conductors,” Skelton said.
Senior Hailey Donehue attended the All-State program last year and will be auditioning again this year. She found the most impactful part of All-State was the people she met and the community that she forged through a shared love of singing.
“You know every single person who’s there has been through not one, but two auditions,” Donahue said. “So you know every person in there is very committed to their voice and committed to their art.”
There are two performances during the three-day event. The main one is on the last day in the Buell Theater, where each choir performs its pieces. The Buell Theater is known for showing most of Denver’s Broadway performances. It is currently showing hits like Six, The Notebook, The Lion King, and the comedy Shucked.
Donahue expressed awe at the idea of performing on that same stage.
“Being on that stage was definitely a little bit like, wow,” she said. “This is what the people who are on stage, acting, singing, and dancing see.”
The second performance is in the atrium of the hotel where the singers stay, the Embassy Suites. This is known as balcony singing and is considered a favorite part of All-State Choir.
“You get to do things like balcony singing, where they put all of the choirs on the balconies and have them sing one song each,” Donahue said. “That was incredible last year. I was looking down and seeing people cry. … [it’s] definitely a big piece of why people go to All-State.”
At the bottom of the atrium, all of the directors from each school also sing a song of their own, and Skelton has found it a great way to build community with directors from around the state.
“We all learn [a song] the day of and then we sing it,” Skelton said. “Anytime you can blend your voice with other people, it’s a good thing.”
Jackie Pierce, a Senior choir student at Silver Creek, also appreciates the community that All-State fosters, stating that the workshops and performances have a “very positive vibe” and that “we all like to get along with each other.”
This year, All-State’s three choirs, Tenor-Bass (for male voices), Treble (for female voices), and Mixed Choir, will each be led by a different conductor or clinician.
Dr. Marques L. A. Garrett, who will be leading the Tenor Bass Choir, is an accomplished choral director and conductor. He currently teaches Choral Studies at the University of North Texas, and holds a PhD, Master of Music (MM), and a Bachelor of Arts degree from three prestigious Universities across the United States.
Conducting the Treble Choir is Jennaya Robison, DMA (Doctor of Musical Arts), who currently leads the National Lutheran Choir and travels for clinics, workshops, and festivals around the world. She is renowned for her work in education and religious outreach, and is an active part of the national choral community. She is the national choir for the Music in Worship for the American Choral Directors Association.
The Mixed Choir conductor, Dr. Anton Armstrong, is the veteran conductor of the St. Olaf Choir. He has a DMA and a Master of Music (MM) in Choral Arts. He is world-renowned, earning honors such as the Saltzman Award from the Oregon Bach Festival and a regional Emmy Award for his 2013 PBS show about the St. Olaf Choir.
For those who are interested in attending the performance, it is held on Saturday, February 7th, at the Buell Theater in Denver, CO. Tickets will be available on the All-State Choir website or by emailing Jeremy Skelton ([email protected]). Tickets sell out very quickly.
