Senior
Even before senior year had begun, I was working on the audition piece for 2016's Honors Chorus. The piece was called Song to the Moon(La Luna), composed by Z. Randall Stroope, one of my favorite composers. You could see that I was excited for this. I had been given a seat 2 years in a row, and the stakes were high to break records one last time, by making it 3 years in a row. Not only was that record broken, but our choir program had been given 5 seats, never done before in the history of this program. When I arrived in Winston Salem, I took everything in and enjoyed every moment, knowing it would be the last. Working under Dr. Stroope, I learned about the color of the voice, breathing, the coming and going of different phrases and how to shape them, and so much more. I even had a copy of my music signed by the director himself. At the end of the weekend, as I stood on stage with others like me, the officials running the concert and weekend recognized those who had been given seats for 3 years in a row, and asked us to stand in front of the audience. Never had a felt such pride in myself, those who taught me, and those who helped me get here. I was so lucky to be able to have this opportunity, and it's one that I will never forget.
Junior
I made honors chorus in my sophomore year, and that experience is what drove me to go again. Our audition piece was called " How Do I love Thee?" written by our conductor, Dr. Eric Nelson. I think I was most nervous about the fact that I had already made it one time, why would they choose a person who already made it? But in spite of my nervousness, I was determined to make it again. And when we got our results back, no one expected them. Wakefield had made history 2 times that day. We had 3 people make it for the first time, and I made it for the second time in a row. To say the least, I was proud, and especially excited to find out what the rest of the music was going to be.
Before we knew it, it was time to prove ourselves in front of others. I, Natalie Collier, and Katherine Sumner, were all well prepared and very excited to work with everyone around Wake County. There is nothing that can compare to what that first sound of an excellent choir is. It's an indescribable feeling that you can only experience by being there. And before we knew it, the weekend had come.
We spent 12 hours the first day doing nothing but rehearsing the pieces. And the next day, even more rehearsal, until the time of the concert was at hand. And just like in the zone rehearsal, our concert is something that is indescribable. You had to be there to truly understand the feeling. I had 1 favorite song, Even When He is Silent. The message behind the song was enough to bring tears to the eyes. The lyrics were found in the basement of a house where Jewish people were hiding from the Nazi's. it talks about how these people believe in things they cannot see, like the sun, even when it's not shining; like love, even when you can't feel it; like God, even when He is silent. It's truly a masterpiece.
I'm very luck to have these experiences and extremely luck to had done this 2 time in a row. I am aiming for a third time, if only to experience it one more time before I graduate. I can only hope that I make it again, and keep practicing my skills so I can excel.
Before we knew it, it was time to prove ourselves in front of others. I, Natalie Collier, and Katherine Sumner, were all well prepared and very excited to work with everyone around Wake County. There is nothing that can compare to what that first sound of an excellent choir is. It's an indescribable feeling that you can only experience by being there. And before we knew it, the weekend had come.
We spent 12 hours the first day doing nothing but rehearsing the pieces. And the next day, even more rehearsal, until the time of the concert was at hand. And just like in the zone rehearsal, our concert is something that is indescribable. You had to be there to truly understand the feeling. I had 1 favorite song, Even When He is Silent. The message behind the song was enough to bring tears to the eyes. The lyrics were found in the basement of a house where Jewish people were hiding from the Nazi's. it talks about how these people believe in things they cannot see, like the sun, even when it's not shining; like love, even when you can't feel it; like God, even when He is silent. It's truly a masterpiece.
I'm very luck to have these experiences and extremely luck to had done this 2 time in a row. I am aiming for a third time, if only to experience it one more time before I graduate. I can only hope that I make it again, and keep practicing my skills so I can excel.