Sounds of practicing voices and instruments float down the hallway and filter into the judging rooms. The musician tries to exude as much confidence as possible as they take their place in front of a music stand. The adjudicator turns on the recording, and the audition begins. On November 16 and 23, the Maryland Music Educators Association (MMEA) held hundreds of such auditions for their annual All-State Honors ensembles.
The MMEA provides a multitude of opportunities for students, with their ensembles including a junior (grades 7 to 9) orchestra, a junior band, a junior chorus, a senior (grades 10 to 12) orchestra, a senior band, a senior mixed chorus, and a senior treble chorus. Each of these ensembles is highly exclusive, with hundreds of students from across the state vying for a seat; there are so many auditionees that auditions are held at three separate locations and last almost the entire day.
“All-State ensembles offer students the unique opportunity to sing with the best musicians in Maryland,” Richard Montgomery choir director Carrie Eyler said, “All-State ensembles serve as a much-needed opportunity for students who are the very best at what they do to be challenged and continue to grow and develop as musicians.”
Like most ensemble auditions, the All-State auditions require auditionees to prepare selected excerpts, perform solo repertoire, and sight-read passages. With all of this content to prepare and such high stakes, students have to begin practicing months in advance.
When the day of the audition finally arrived, so did the nerves. “Leading up to [the audition], I didn’t feel that nervous, but once I got in the room, I was pretty nervous,” Richard Montgomery sophomore and singer Angelina Guhl said, “I just try to calm myself down and tell myself, ‘it’s not a big deal, just get through it.'”
Two days ago, on Dec. 9, students learned whether or not they made the cut for these elite ensembles. Those who were invited to join an ensemble will travel up to Baltimore in April and have the opportunity to learn more difficult music, engage with more talented singers, and work with expert conductors.
Article by Lynna Deng of Richard Montgomery High School
Article by Helena Yang of Richard Montgomery High School