On Saturday, November 10, AHS choral students auditioned for the District X Honors Choir at West Potomac HS. They, along with individuals from other high schools in the district, were competing for the chance to sing in a combined choir. A total of 40 Atoms were selected to participate.
“The competition was really tough this year,” said sophomore Melissa Haberle. “The judges looked for intonation, general sense of pitch…they look for sight-reading, that’s a really big thing.”
Of the 40 AHS students that plan to perform with the District Choir, 7 will sing with the SSAA Choir and 33 with SATB Choir.
The two District Choirs are the Women’s, or SSAA, Choir and the Mixed, or SATB, Choir. Freshmen and sophomore girls participate in the SSAA Choir, while men and upperclassman girls are placed in the SATB Choir. SSAA and SATB refer to the vocal parts sung in each choir. SSAA sings soprano 1, soprano 2, alto 1, and alto 2. SATB includes soprano and alto parts, as well as tenor 1, tenor 2, bass 1, and bass 2.
Selected singers participate in two days of group rehearsals before their performance. “Over the course of a weekend, we go in for a rehearsal Thursday night, miss school to rehearse all day
Friday, and then perform Saturday with a guest conductor,” senior Patricia Webb said.
Senior Katie Mock, who has participated in District Chorus for the past two years, describes it positively: “It’s an amazing experience, because you get to meet students that you normally would never meet,” Mock said.
The District X Choirs will be performing on Saturday, February 9 at Hayfield Secondary school.
“I am really proud of everybody who got in, especially for the first time. It’s a really big accomplishment,” Haberle said.
