By Clara Moffitt
All of us dream of becoming the best in the state. For two seniors, this dream, through much hard work, became a reality — four years in a row. Nasrynn Chowdhury and Christopher Moffitt have both successfully auditioned and made it into the All-State Choir for four consecutive years.
The All-State Performance is an intense three-day rehearsal process, culminating in a spectacular concert of sophisticated music. These festivals do not just include choir. They also include orchestra and band.
To get into All-State, one first has to make it into the Regional Festival. Then, one can audition for the All-State Festival. For both, one must prepare a solo, and must sight-read and perform music that the musician has never seen before.
Nasrynn says, “Because of the serious competition, I always tried to practice many levels of difficulty for sight singing; you never know what they’re gonna throw at you, and you can never be too prepared.”
The amazing thing for these two seniors is that they have made it into All-State for all four years of their high school career. Christopher Moffitt states, “There are very few people who make the All-State Festival for all four years – this year only five – so it is a very big honor. Those few four-year-ers are brought forward at the beginning of the ultimate concert and are given a very pretty award, and… feel very special.”
“Being in All-State for four years shows dedication and hard work, but most importantly, it shows that you are very driven and passionate about music,” says Nasrynn.
This year, the concert took place at Northern Arizona University. This is special because this is where Nasrynn and Christopher spent their first year in All-State. They also have the opportunity to sing phenomenal songs while looking out at the beautiful mountain scenery. “This made for such a profound experience,” Christopher says.
Most astonishing however, is the outstanding music created by high schoolers all over the state. Christopher says that, “the music is, frankly, life changing.” Nasrynn says that, “the best part about All-State is seeing the passion exuding from the choir. It’s such a great feeling knowing that the people around you love what they’re doing as much as you do.”
