This week, our Orono concert and chamber choir competed in a choir contest at Shakopee High School. Concert choir earned an “excellent” rating from the judges, while chamber choir snagged a “superior” rating. OHS students competed against considerably larger schools like Delano, Shakopee, Mound, Buffalo, and Dassel-Cokato.

The competition was designed to help benefit the choirs, allowing them to perform in front of judges then getting feedback on their facial expressions, volume, and other key components.

“I went into the day thinking I wasn’t going to enjoy it, but Shakopee was a very cool school and it was a great experience.” junior Hadley Juran said. She continued saying that getting feedback from the judges was very beneficial to both choirs.

Competing against larger schools can be a tremendous task to take on. Shakopee alone has over 1,700 students according to US News, in comparison Orono has 900. The discrepancy between the two schools alone create fierce competition between the choirs.

One student was not intimidated by these large class sizes. “It was very fun listening to other choirs and being able to learn from them.” sophomore Mary Peterson said.

This isn’t the first year the OHS choir has attended, Orono’s boisterous sound proved to be a powerful force in choirs around the state. We are excited to see what they have in store for their next concert on April 1st at Wayzata Community Church.