Middle and Upper School Choir Earn Sweepstakes Award

Ascension Episcopal School
A job well done by our Ascension Episcopal School Choir as they participated in the Lafayette Music Educators Association (LMEA) Large Ensemble District Festival at UL on Friday. Judges awarded 25 Ascension seventh graders and upper school students with all superior ratings in each category earning them a sweepstakes trophy. 

It is our greatest joy as a school that promotes Balanced Excellence to be able to provide students with opportunities to pursue their interests beyond the classroom. It’s one thing to perform for fellow students and even parents of fellow students, but it takes a different type of confidence and courage to perform on stage at a university. 
“It was great to compete at the choral festival again. It has been at least two years since we’ve gone.  I also enjoyed having our seventh grade singers collaborating with us.  I hope they continue to join us for what we accomplish next year,” remarked Madeleine Sorrell, class of ‘23.

Upper school students spent three months rehearsing repertoire for this event. Some participate in vocal music as a class during the school day, while many others join as an after-school extracurricular.  Their repertoire included a setting of Shakespeare’s text from a Midsummer Night’s Dream, “Over Hill Over Dale,” a setting of “Ave Maria” attributed to Caccini, and an Eric Whitacre piece titled “Glow.”  

Riley Liprie, class of ‘22, shared her thoughts on the performance pieces, “My favorite piece was Ave Maria. I love how the harmonies stack together and the flowing texture of the soprano melody.  “Glow” was probably our most intricate, but also the most expressive.”

In addition to performing their set on stage, the choir also competed in a sight-singing event.  The choir was given a 16 bar piece of music written in 3 part harmony to analyze and perform from sight. In just seven minutes, they verbalized the rhythm, analyzed the harmonic structure, and identified interval patterns. During this time, the students are permitted to sing the scale within the key of the song once and have the opportunity to sing accompanied by the piano once.  After these seven minutes, they performed the song acapella, without accompaniment.

“I’m incredibly proud of what our students have accomplished. I’d like to praise Mr. Hall for his efforts preparing our 7th graders and for his artistry as our accompanist,” Mr. Brian Sanford, upper school theatre, chorus, and instrumental music teacher, commented after the performance.

Ascension is grateful to Mr. Hall and Mr. Sanford for joining together to provide such an amazing opportunity for our students. For more information on music within our school, clickHERE.
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    The Episcopal Church of the Ascension School (Ascension Episcopal School) admits qualified students without regard to race, religion, sexual orientation, or national origin. We are a welcoming community.