By Staff Writer: Marissa VanDaelen
Choir and the arts in general are taken very seriously at Howell High School but not everyone receives the honor of being able to perform at the Michigan Youth Arts Festival. Senior Keith Hutchins and sophomore Jillian Brennan are two of the few that have been selected to perform in the 2014 All-State Choir. They will perform at the closing of the festival on Saturday, May 10. The entire MYAF is May 8 through 10.
“The festival is basically where a bunch of different arts come together. I know there’s band, choir, and poetry out loud. Everyone comes together at Western Michigan University for one weekend in May and it’s just so amazing to be able to see and be a part of that. We actually have a great opportunity to go ahead and see the other arts do their performances as well as they are allowed to come see ours,” Hutchins says.
The All-State Choir is new for Brennan but she surely knows how to perform. Brennan has previously performed at a State Solo and Ensemble festival and she received a near perfect score. She was also one of 13 students, chosen state wide, to perform at MYAF. On the other hand, this will be the second year in a row for Hutchins who got the opportunity through an audition after regionals.
“I was able to audition last October for the Regional Honors Choir which was held in December, and after we went and performed at regionals, we had to audition for State Honors that same day and I made it. My score was good enough to put me into All-State Choir for the second year,” Hutchins says.
Likewise, Hutchins had a wonderful time at the MYAF last year which only makes this year that much more to look forward to.
“My first year I actually got to work with one of my favorite composers and conductors in the choral world, Dr. Z. Randall Stroope, and I couldn’t have asked for a better experience. It was so amazing to be there and live on campus for three days. It was also a great chance to learn from such a great person,” Hutchins says.
In addition, there are many people that attend the MYAF but not many people that are chosen to actually be a part of it.
“I don’t know the number of people that are part of the entire festival but I know that for All-State Choir, there are only about 80 students selected from across the state of Michigan. I would estimate the total in the festival to be about 500 students from across the state in various art forms,” Hutchins says.
It’s incredible that two students from HHS have made the All-State Choir out of the many choral students in Michigan. The MYAF certainly seems like a rare opportunity that would be enjoyed by many if given the chance.
“I’m so excited to perform with a bunch of people that really care about the arts. You can tell when you get there, it’s just a different atmosphere than the choirs here in school. Obviously everyone here still cares about the arts, I’m not saying that, but when you go on a larger scale, it’s so great to share your music with everyone from across the state. It’s not just in Howell High School, it’s not just people you see every day, it’s people that you see at these functions because they truly care and want to be a part of it,” Hutchins says.
