The days of February 25 to 28 were packed with classes, workshops, rehearsals and performances for Katharine Dunigan and Alyson Fewless. Both choir students were accompanied by their conductor and instructor, James Redden.
Selection for the event was specific. Fewless attended because she is the only member of the LBCC choir currently working as a conductor. Dunigan was invited as member of an elite group of students accepted onto the ACDA Collegiate Honor Choir.
"It was truly special having two of our LBCC choral music students there to represent the State of Oregon," said Redden. "Watching [Dunigan] perform as part of the 2015 ACDA Collegiate Honor Choir was amazing, especially since she was the only college student from the State of Oregon accepted into the ensemble."
Dunigan earned her place on the Latin-American themed choir consisting of 200 singers. Those selected beat out 3,000 students who auditioned for a coveted spot.
"At first I wasn't sure if I wanted to audition. But after talking with my mom and director, James, I came to the conclusion that it would be a great learning experience for me," said Dunigan.
Her days were long, rehearsing for eight hours on both Wednesday and Thursday in preparation for the Honors Choir performances on Friday and Saturday. Performing at several different times and locations, one Saturday performance in particular was special. With 1,100 singers on the stage, the Honors Choir merged with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and the Mormon Tabernacle Symphony to sing "He's Got The Whole World."
"When I was 17 I sang in Carnegie Hall which was my first big audience and I loved every second of it. This was just as awesome and I can't wait to sing in front of an even bigger audience," said Dunigan.
Fewless will be putting what she learned in the workshops to immediate use. She attended two workshops for her job conducting the Santiam Canyon Community Chorus, comprised of members 40 years and older. With that in mind she took classes for evolving voices to help conductors adjust warms-ups for voices not in their prime.
She also attended a workshop specifically for her conducting job at Santiam High School. With most of the boys in the choir at the of puberty, she took a class focusing on boys voices and picking songs appropriate for a young man's changing voice.
"It was a lot of information to get in four days," said Fewless. "It was kind of cool because I had something in common with everyone there."
Both Dunigan and Fewless were able to attend concerts to watch peers perform a cappella, both modern and renaissance-style. They had opportunity to meet performers prominent in the choral world, such as the King Singers, a vocal ensemble from Sweden.
"It was a little bit intimidating talking to them because they're kind of like rock stars," said Fewless.
The experience was a good one, by unanimous accounts from all three.
"I am so proud of [Dunigan and Fewless] and how much they have grown and achieved through this experience," said Redden. "This was truly a learning and musical experience that they will never forget."
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