Oak Ridge Choir Regarding Opus Honor Choir

7/10/2017
Oak Ridge Choir
Regarding Opus Honor Choir

Dear Parents,

Your child has expressed an interest in auditioning for the 2016 Opus Honor Choir Festival. For those unfamiliar with this, the Opus choir is an auditioned group of singers from all over the state of Iowa. The event is hosted by the Iowa Choral Director’s Association, and takes place in Ames, Iowa on Thursday, November 16^th. Over 3,000 students will audition from across the state, but only about 700 will be selected. To sing with this group is an honor, and a wonderful opportunity for those who have a strong interest in singing.

Four grade-level choirs are offered for the event: 5^th/6^th grade Mixed Choir, 7^th/8^th Treble Choir, 7^th/8^th Bass Choir, and 9^th grade mixed choir. Interested students will begin meeting with me as of Monday, August 28^th for group rehearsals before-and-after school, and during their FLEX time on Fridays. These rehearsals are open to any interested student currently enrolled in choir at Oak Ridge. Well-prepared singers will complete a recorded audition to be sent to a panel of judges in September. Individual school directors do not decide which students will be accepted in to the Opus Honor Choir. This is not a required event for Oak Ridge Vocal Music.

The recorded audition requires that singers perform a vocal scale, sing the first verse of “America”, and perform a portion of the chosen Opus music. Selection criteria includes: Accuracy of pitch and rhythm (unaccompanied), tone quality, and musicality. Singers who wish to do well in their audition must put practice time in at home, and regularly attend group rehearsals. Selection for this group is an honor, and is not an easy task.

Following the audition results (available in October), chosen singers will begin rehearsing festival music with me at school. Five pieces will be prepared for each grade-level choir; these must be memorized before the day of the festival. On November 16^th, we will travel to Ames (with the other participants from the Linn-Mar District) to rehearse with top-notch singers from across the state. The full-day music event will end with the Grand Concert, which is open to the public.

Good luck to all!

Sincerely,

Wendy Luedeman

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