This past Friday, the Lakeland/IA-West Choir learned that our 13-member high voice ensemble, BLUEBIRDS, has been selected as one of only nine choirs from the entire state to perform at MSVMA All State Festival in May. This is an ENORMOUS accomplishment for these students and our program.
To receive this honor, Bluebirds was selected at State Solo and Ensemble back in March as one of the top ensembles at our festival site. Our recordings were then forwarded to the statewide "Listening Panel" which reviewed selected recordings from around the state to whittle down the list. In the end, we are only one of two choirs from the entire Detroit area to be invited to All State.
The festival will take place on Friday, May 13, where we will perform at the All State recital on the campus of Michigan State University. The festival is not competitive and simply a showcase of the best ensembles and soloists in the state.
We are incredibly proud of these students. The last time that a Lakeland group was invited to the equivalent of this festival was 23 years ago, when the choir was under the direction of longtime choir director, Barney Hyland. We are so excited for our program and these young musicians. The Bluebirds are under the current direction of Dr. Jeff Nelson.
Great job Bluebirds!