After the eight-member Haines High School ensemble rang out the final note in a contemporary acapella rendition of “Africa” at the state competition in Anchorage last weekend, one of the judges had feedback.
“Wow,” she said, “We are sitting here listening to your group and we are wondering what is going on in Haines?”
For the first time in the festival’s history dating back to 1999, Haines school musicians earned two command awards, the highest level of vocal talent, according to festival archives. The group received two superior ratings.
“For a school our size to be selected for two command performances, that’s something special,” director Matt Davis said of the group.
The music festival drew 42 high schools and 497 single performances on May 10 and 11. To compete, students were required to qualify at previous festivals.
The Haines Man Choir – with sophomores Brennan Palmieri, Steven Galinski, Mark Davis and junior Nathan Haas – won first place in the barbershop category for their rendition of “Manly Men” by Kurt Knecht.
Davis said the group began practicing the song last year, but each had to learn new parts this year after their voices changed. On Saturday night, the group got two standing ovations for the performance, Davis said.
Sophomores Lydia Andriesen and Palmieri were both surprised to win the small classical ensemble category for their Mozart duet, a song from “The Magic Flute” translated into English.
The piece is a conversation sung between a woman and a bird man “talking about how everyone is ruled by love and nature, and nature speaks through love,” Andreisen said.
“We were going up against these big choirs from Anchorage that were all really good together,” Andriesen said. “Brennan and I had worked on it so much and we had motions and facial expressions where we portrayed an understanding of our piece.”
Andriesen and Palmieri each performed separate solos.
Palmierei earned a superior rating for “The People Who Walked in Darkness,” a piece by George Handel.
Four members of the Haines Treble Choir, Hannah Boron, Lydia Andriesen, Natalie Jobbins, and Yella Miramontes sang, “I have a Bonnet” by Georgina Craig, in the small classical category. A judge called the performance “very mature” with outstanding “balance and blend” and awarded them a superior ranking.
Students said that it wasn’t only interesting to hear judge’s feedback for their own songs, but for competing students, as well.
“You get a lot of inspiration from seeing what other people do” Palmieri said. “Every time I wasn’t performing, I was watching other people because you can learn a lot from what the adjudicators are telling them. You can apply it to yourself and become a better musician.”