RHS Choir To Travel to The Broadmoor and Sing for the Music Educators of Colorado
The students of the Rifle High School Choir Program have been putting in incredible efforts throughout this school year, and their hard work has paid off with an invitation to perform January 25, 2024, at the State Music Convention. This is an extraordinary honor not only for Rifle HIgh School but also for the entire community of Rifle. It's a testament to the exceptional talent and hard work of our RHS choir students.
The State Music Convention is a highly prestigious event where choirs from all over the state audition for a limited number of performance slots. In a typical year, only 16-17 choirs are selected to participate. Our Varsity choir, categorized as SATB (High School Mixed Choir), will deliver a captivating 25-minute concert at The Broadmoor. The Colorado Music Educators Association (CMEA) music council, responsible for evaluating anonymous electronic submissions, chose our Varsity choir to represent the High School Mixed category.
The theme for this year's performance, as requested by CMEA, is "Honoring our past and Inspiring our future." The chosen musical selections perfectly embody this theme and promise to deliver a breathtaking performance. The repertoire includes "How Can I Keep From Singing" by Sarah Quartel, "Oh Captain My Captain" by John Leavitt, "Ezekiel Saw The Wheel" by William Dawson, "Measure Me Sky" by Jonathan Ried, and "Jerusalema" arranged by Jacob Naverud. These songs, composed by modern artists, are rich with romantic poetry and offer a glimpse into both the past and the future of choral singing.
“A lot of our songs embody what most every human being experiences in life, emotions and events,” explained RHS student and Choir participant Jasmine Vera Vale. “Many artists find ways to show the impact and beauty that come from the range of pain and happiness. Past and future are both terrifying. One is filled with either regrets and mistakes, and the other with uncertainty and the full “unknown”. Yet, we never get the chance to understand the past and future balance with each other. Honoring the past victories, mistakes, laughs, cries and all in between, and waiting to make the same victories, laughs, cries and all of it. In a corny and cheesy line, it’s life, and life has its beauty hidden and shown.”
In addition to this prestigious honor, the RHS Choir had 16 students achieving a accepted into Mesa 51's Colorado Choral Directors Honor Choir in November, five students who earning spots in the prestigious Colorado All State Choir and in December, 28 students from Rifle High School were been granted the incredible opportunity to perform at Western University's Honor Choir.
We invite the community to come and listen to the Rifle High School Varsity Choir perform a CMEA preview concert on Jan 23, 2024 at 7:00 PM in the Rifle High School auditorium. It is not every year that our students achieve this level of success. Admission is free, and the concert should last about 30 mins.
Thank you to the community sponsors that support our students attending events like the CMEA State Music Convention, including Alpine Bank, Deardorff Memorial Trust, and Rifle High School Music Boosters.
If you are unable to make the concert on January 23, consider attending the annual Valentines Dinner and Show Fundraiser. Jazz Band, Soloists, and Choirs will perform February 15 at RHS. Tickets may purchased in advance at https://rhsmusicboosters.ludus.com/index.php