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Six musicians from Marian joined the top high school musicians from across Nebraska for All-State Music on Nov. 19-21.
Musicians auditioned for a limited number of spots within the chorus, band, and orchestra ensembles. Once participants were selected, they traveled to Lincoln to attend three days of rehearsals, followed by a large group performance where they showcased their talents.
“It’s a competition up until you get to the actual event. Then, you’re all trying to work together to make the music sound as good as possible,” tuba player junior Katie Williams said. Williams and junior Grace Mortenson joined 150 other musicians in the All- State band.
All-State Music provides high school musicians the opportunity to experience and perform in an environ- ment that is not available anywhere else. “It was really nice playing with
a big band. It’s a completely different sound. Marian only has 10 people
in our band, so having 150 people is really amazing to play with,” Williams said.
Junior Ione Enderez, sophomore Maria Determan, and sophomore Megan Doehner lent their voices to the All-State chorus. “The concert was my favorite part. There’s a big difference between singing with 40 people and singing with 440 people,” Doehner said. “The music was so emotional, so when you sang, it felt like your voice meant something.”
All-State Music also allowed musicians to meet people from all over Nebraska. “Meeting all the interesting people from places I’ve never heard of before and seeing all different talents was so cool,” violinist sophomore Ellie Messerschmidt said.
“The girl next to me was interesting. Normally, you play violin with your left hand, but she played with her opposite hand because she was missing three fingers on her left. I thought it was neat that she made it into All-State even with that disability.”
Through teamwork and collaboration, these musicians shared their pas- sion with others from all over the state. “When you get 440 people together that love music, you can make beautiful things,” Doehner said.
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