Fourteen Haines High School singers were invited to participate in this year’s Southeast Alaska Honor Music Festival that will be held in Haines on Oct. 26.
Haines honor choir members include: seniors Madeline Andriesen, Dylan Palmieri, Alyx Habra, Rachel Haas, Mori Hays; juniors Dalton Klinger, Keegan Palmieri, Sarah Long, Marty Fowler; sophomores Kamakana Kanahele, Lili Benassi; freshman Nathan Haas, Kayleigh Fisher and Aireona Davis.
Jason Muccino, director of bands and choral activities, said each student had to audition for the choir. The students recorded their auditions on CDs, which were reviewed by the Southeast region high school music directors last weekend. Six of these Haines singers have participated in the honor festival at least once before.
About 150 Southeast Alaska students were selected for an honor choir, band and orchestra. The students from high schools in Juneau, Sitka, Wrangell, Petersburg, Ketchikan, Craig, Klawock and Metlakatla will come together in Haines and start rehearsals on Oct. 24. Two days of rehearsals will conclude with a performance at the Chilkat Center on the evening of Oct. 26.
Two guest conductors will lead the band and choir. Brennan Baglio, choral director at Northwest College in Wyoming, will direct the choir and Keith Hodgson, assistant professor of music education at University of the Arts in Philadelphia, will direct the band. Muccino said the students will receive the music ahead of time and are expected to practice before the festival.
Muccino said he is looking forward to the Haines musicians performing with other students and new conductors, and also taking part in a more advanced level of music.
“It’s a whole new experience and challenge for all the kids,” Muccino said.
Muccino said this festival is a way to get high school music students from just the Southeast region together. The 2016 All-State Music Festival in November brings the best high school musicians in the state together in Anchorage. The All-Northwest Honor group narrows down the talented musicians even further, bringing the best of the Northwest region – including Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Wyoming and Washington – to a festival in 2017.
Muccino said he hopes to have students participate in all of these advanced groups.