For the first time ever, Chamber Choir was selected to perform at the American Choral Directors Association in Pasadena.
This conference also known as ACDA encompasses any choir group on the west coast; whether it’s a community level, elementary, highschool, college, etc. It will be held in Pasadena and will highlight 8 of the best highschools; one being San Juan Hills High School.
To be eligible, there is a blind audition process where the director of each choir program must submit an application consisting of video recordings of the choir from the last three years. About 100 applications are sent each year and the ACDA board decides on the best choirs to represent the western region.
“It’s a big thing! There’s workshops, there’s keynote addresses, performances in the morning, afternoon and evening of different groups. There’s so many things happening and we’re expecting anywhere from 3,000 to 5,000 colleagues. Choral colleagues come from all over to be in attendance of this,” said Choir Director, Michael Ushino.
Ushino is in shock over this huge accomplishment. When hearing that his Chamber class was chosen, he was overwhelmed with so many emotions, especially pride, that his students have gained national recognition. Especially, since our school is still a new one.
“Our history’s still being written as a school and so a lot of the stuff we’re doing we’re breaking new ground we’re making new opportunities for these students that have never been there before. It’s super cool and just saying it out loud I still don’t believe that we’re going” said Ushino.
…we’re making new opportunities for these students that have never been there before. It’s super cool and just saying it out loud I still don’t believe that we’re going”
— Michael Ushino
Being the most advanced choir here at San Juan Hills High School, Chamber Choir moves at a much faster, collegiate pace and is a class composed of more than standard singing. The students have to understand music theory, read sheet music, practice tonal memory, and pitch recall is crucial. Compared to the beginning level choirs, Chamber holds more demanding expectations, so the students work hard to become better singers each and every day.
“For me, it’s being able to show off our skills and just show what we do here and how hard we work…I’m really excited! I think it’s a really fun experience” said Chamber singer and senior Gemma Butler, who is also the Choir President.
These students sing constantly in class and practice the music on their own time, as pieces they rehearse can get very difficult. With the exception of a few breaks, the Chamber students sing constantly from the moment they walk into the choir classroom.
“I wasn’t in Choir last year and haven’t been in choir since sixth grade, so suddenly jumping into the highest thing in west coast conferences is a huge deal to me. I’m more than grateful to be able to do it, ” said Gwen Nishti, a sophomore in Chamber Choir.
Their dedication does not go unnoticed. Everyone is constantly rehearsing and singing to prepare for ACDA in March. Ushino gives a lot of credit to his students and praises them for their endless ambition. “They’re insanely talented, they are, but they also work insanely hard and they’ve earned every scrap of it. I’m just proud of them,” said Ushino.
