Freshman Shari Ganes, a concert choir student, gave input on what she thought about the solo and small ensemble festival.
“It will give me a chance to independently work on two pieces of music,” Ganes said.
Ganes, like all other participating soloists, chose two songs to rehearse and perform for the festival. As a first year student of the one year old school, Ganes said that she is excited for the festival and doing it for a bigger prize than just performing in it.
“I think the point is to find serious choir students that want to sing independently,” Ganes said. “ Also as a prerequisite to performing for Spotlight.”
Sophomore Bailee MacDonald, a choralier singer, is also performing in the festival. MacDonald has a passion for singing and said she feels a connection with the audience when singing.
“Because I can express myself through singing very well and I feel like it’s a great way to communicate your feelings and understand how someone feels,” MacDonald said. “So I see Spotlight as a great opportunity to do so.”
The school’s choir teacher, Susan Scheibler, will now be doing the festival for a second year.
“I love the solos,” Scheibler said. “I also love to hear how our ensemble rises to the occasion.”
Scheibler explained the school is automatically a member of KSHSSA; her job is just to turn in the forms. Scheibler encouraged students to participate in the festival.
“I just encourage them to be in the festival… they just listen and sing up,” Scheibler said.
Freshman Brooke Tilley, a concert choir singer, is looking forward to the upcoming festival.
“The best part of going to the festival would be watching people sing and perform solos or as a choir,” Tilley said.
The festival will contain 15 chamber singers, 19 concert concert choir singers, 9 choralier singers, and 26 actual soloists in the festival. Soloists will be performing art songs; songs that illustrate a poem or artistic idea.
Students are participating in the festival so that they are eligible to audition and possibly perform in the Spotlight festival. The Spotlight Festival is a bigger event, held in May, that will feature auditioned students and the Southwest choir members singing pop music.