PALOS HEIGHTS, ILLINOIS - Three students from Roxana High School were selected to participate in the Illinois All-State Choirs.
Troy Rah-Bass 1, All-State Honors Chorus.
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Joseph Whetzel-Bass 2, All-State Chorus.
Gianna Visser-Soprano 1, All-State Chorus.
During the fall of 2023, over 10,000 students from elementary, junior high and high schools around Illinois participated in a virtual audition process and of those auditions, more than 7,000 students were selected to participate in district festivals celebrating student musicians in bands, orchestras, choruses and jazz ensembles.
Roxana High School Choir Director Erin E. Falloon said the selection of three students for All-State was a "huge accomplishment for our student musicians."
"I am super proud of them," she said. "The process for the auditions is pretty involved and it takes a lot of time and diligence to get things together for all-state. It is like being selected for an all-state team in sports. Those selected get to sing with these other fantastic musicians and it is a unique opportunity for them. There are no divisions in this. All the large schools, small schools, private schools, are all lumped together in one. I think it is outstanding our small school district can compete against every other district in the state."
Students in grades 9-12 who participated in the ILMEA District Festivals are also eligible to be selected into ILMEA’s All-State Student Programs. This year, 1500 students were selected to participate in the Illinois Music Education Association’s 2023 All-State Student Programs in Peoria, Illinois from Jan. 24-27, 2024. In addition to the performing ensembles, this group also includes students who applied for and were accepted into the Future Music Educators Seminar, and students who entered the ILMEA Composition Contest and were selected to participate in the Composition Track.
Students in the performing ensembles represent the best student musicians in Illinois and came together to present a series of All-State Concerts. On Friday, Jan. 26, the 2024 Jazz Night Concert will feature a night of music performed by the student vocal and instrumental jazz ensembles. The All-State Elementary Chorus Concert, the All-State Concert and the Honors Concerts will be presented on Saturday, Jan. 27, 2024. Each of these ensembles will be led by distinguished conductors and educators from across the country.
The All-State Student Programs run concurrently with the Illinois Music Education Conference, the premier professional development opportunity for music educators in Illinois. This event brings over 12,000 students, educators, parents and music education industry vendors to the Peoria Civic Center to celebrate and promote music education in Illinois.
