Nine Vian Choir members traveled to Bethany on June 4 to attend the prestigious Southern Nazarene University’s All-State Camp to start preparations for All-State auditions for this fall. Auditions are held in November for both round one and two.

At camp, Vian senior Anthony Ruda competed in an All-State talent show contest and won first place for his piano jazz composition titled Ruda, Invention No. 1. He performed his original piece at the concert on the last day of camp and was presented with an award.

All-State is a lengthy process that starts in summer with camp. Students rehearse for months before they audition to perfect the music. If they pass round one, they advance to the second round. If they qualify after round two, they advance to the OKMEA All-State Choir to perform, and rehearse several days, with the best vocalists in the state.

“Students rehearse for months to prepare for All-State auditions. This year, there is a jazz piece, a Sesotho African Spiritual, a medieval religious piece in Latin, and a secular, modern piece based on the poetry of Sara Teasdale. They are collegiate, musical selections that will take months to master for contests and auditions,” Christina Herriman, choir director, said.

Herriman said students are already hard at work, and over the past three years, the choir has had seven students selected for All-State.

“This group has a lot of talent and I’m looking forward to what they achieve this year. Their work ethic and dedication is amazing, and I’m blessed to work with these students. They are a great group and I enjoy teaching and working with them,” she said.

Herriman said she and her students wish to thank everyone that supported the group’s fundraisers to help with the cost of the camp.

“It is very expensive to attend, but worth it. They are able to start the process of learning their music and get expert help from college professors at SNU. We appreciate the community’s support,” she said.