On Thursday, September 6th, choir students of all grades flooded into the South Auditorium, anxiously awaiting auditions for Chamber Singers and Treble Makers. Chamber Singers is an upperclassmen a cappella ensemble of 16 singers, while Treble Makers is its 20 member underclassmen counterpart. “It’s pretty competitive and there’s a lot of people much older than me here, but I’m pretty confident,” freshman Logan Glaze said.

The song selected as the audition piece was “Lord, For Thy Tender Mercy’s Sake” by Richard Farrant, a 16th century English composer. While the song may present a challenge to some who are unfamiliar with the level of vigor found in State High choirs, freshman Nick Letwin understands that it is typical of a group performing at that level. “It is not too difficult but it is at a level that would be appropriate to audition with,” Letwin added.

Underclassmen representation and interest is always a key point of the auditions, as the younger students are the future of the music program. According to Erik Clayton, State High choral director, interest in the a cappella ensembles specifically has remained rather steady throughout his years at the school. “Last year’s [audition] was especially large and this year was almost as large,” Clayton said. Underclassmen participation is something that is always considered, and senior Tori Robinson is especially hopeful for the future of the choir program at State High. “It makes me really happy to see all the underclassmen coming out for auditions and I even got to audition with an underclassmen,” Robinson, who is also going to be helping as the Treble Makers assistant this year, said.

While he always values new interest, Clayton also likes to note if students who have participated in or auditioned for the a cappella choirs in the past are re-auditioning. This year, every previous a cappella member auditioned again, and a lot of it is thanks to what Clayton is doing within the music program. “Last year was a fantastic experience,”  sophomore Ethan Hardyk, who auditioned for Treble Makers for a second time, said. “I really liked Mr. Clayton and his philosophy on music.” From a director’s standpoint, Clayton is always enthusiastic to see continuing interest and watch his students develop into better musicians over the years. “I’m always impressed by how much people grow and how their voices improve over time. It’s really amazing when kids commit to [singing] and improving themselves every year,” Clayton added. No matter the results of the auditions, it is sure to be a successful year for the a cappella choirs at State High.