On April 12th, five vocal students participated in the Michigan State Vocal Music Association’s State Solo and Ensemble Festival. The event required all students to  prepare two contrasting pieces of music with one of them being in a foreign language. The students were judged on a multitude of different criteria including their tonal beauty, breath control, musical elements, language elements, interpretation, and presentation. They also had to sight read a piece of music and perform it for the judges within 6-minutes. 

The five students that performed were Keon Celestine, who received a perfect score of 30/30, Audrey Kanne, who received a score of 28/30, Breyanne Stallman, who received a score of 26/30, Audrey Steepe, who received a score of 28/30, and Samantha Walzak, who received a 29/30.

The work put into these performances does not go unnoticed by the performing arts community. These students are continuing to make progress in the vocal department.

“Samantha Walzak has already been chosen to represent Musical Theatre at the All-State Festival. She is only the third Fraser vocal music student to be selected and the first to be chosen for Musical Theatre, brava to her” the choir teacher, Mr. Charland, said. 

The experience overall is something for all the students involved to be proud of. The commitment and dedication was highlighted through the scores all students received.

“I am so thankful for the opportunity to do vocal solo and ensemble. By participating in it for the last 3 years, it has challenged me, and I have been able to grow as a vocalist. After months of preparation, it was rewarding to have hard work pay off,” Steepe said. 

Congratulations to all students involved and continue working hard towards growing the future of the performing arts department.