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The Free Press - Feature/News
ALL CITY CHOIR CONCERT The combined honor choirs from Lawrence Public Schools high school and middle schools perform in the annual All City Choir event Story by Evie Chancy
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fter hours of rehearsals, the combined choirs from Lawrence Public high schools and middle schools took the stage in the annual All City Choir event at the Lied Center on Feb. 7. The show consisted of the high school honors choirs performing “Alleluia”, “Hands are Knockin”, “There is No Rose” and “Lamentations of Jeremiah”, with conductors Dwayne Dunn, Olivia Henning, Joshua East and Angela Loganbill. The event was successful for the singers, as the benefits of hard work and collaboration were reflected in the students’ performances. “It was probably the best that we’ve done some of the songs and it was for a much larger audience than we usually perform,” Landholm said. Free State choir director East said the event served as a great opportunity for students. The students got the chance to work with the directors from other schools. According to East, students have prepared for the show by diligently practicing in class. “We put in a lot of work preparing these pieces so we’re properly prepared for it,” junior choir member Becca Craft said. Additionally, the Free State Choir was able to support the
Singing at the All City Choir concet on Feb. 7, Ava George (LHS), junior Annika Maximov (LHS), senior Gemma Waldron and senior Anna Kober, perform solos. Photos by Eleanor Roust
other choirs. According to Craft, the Free State choir has attended all the performances of their fellow choirs as well as holding workdays between schools in order to prepare each other. “Working with Lawrence High School there’s a lot of really talented people,” Landholm said. “Working with them was a really positive experience for both schools.” Not only was this a beneficial experience for choir members, the show gave audience members a chance to experience the talent of the choirs. A majority of the seats in the hall were filled. Many guests participated in the sea shanties sung by the middle school choir. Attendee Ebi Hegeman described the performance as captivating. “The performance was beautiful,” Hegeman said. “I loved hearing the pieces put on by developing passionate voices.” The All City Choir show brought community members together to celebrate the talent of local youth. People from across Lawrence came to watch the students sing. Landholm said it gave their family a choir performance to look forward to.
Performing jointly, both Lawrence Free State and Lawrence High School Choirs came together to sing on February 7th. The All City Choir concert brought a large audience of support from both high schools. Students enjoyed performing with their peers and making connections between both schools and programs. Photos by Eleanor Roust
“It shows unity in our district and also showcases the talents of all the students that we have in our district,” East said.