2018 North Carolina Honors Choruses

Talented student singers were showcased at the forty-second annual North Carolina Music Educator’s Association (NCMEA) gathering in Winston Salem.

By: Benjamin Rickert, Communications Dept., and Laura Mitchell, Arts Education Specialist

Talented student singers were showcased at the forty-second annual North Carolina Music Educator’s Association (NCMEA) gathering in Winston Salem. On November 10 and 11, 2018, the audition-based, state-wide High School, Middle School, and Elementary School Honors Choruses each stood in the limelight, with a number of Buncombe County Schools performers in their ranks.

Each year, hundreds of students audition for these state honors choruses, while only a fraction are selected. At the middle school level, 168 students were selected out of 802 that auditioned. At the high school level, 180 students were selected out of 1,051 that auditioned. The choirs were composed of students from A.C. Reynolds High, T.C. Roberson High, Owen High, Enka Middle, A.C. Reynolds Middle, Clyde A. Erwin Middle, Valley Springs Middle, Cane Creek Middle, Charles T. Koontz Intermediate and Glen Arden Elementary. Their powerful and soothing voices filled the Stevens Center at the North Carolina School of the Arts, inspiring the state's music professionals and revealing a bright future in the world of fine arts.

This year, Valley Springs Middle School's chorus director Mr. Robert Waller served as the North Carolina Middle School Honors Chorus Coordinator.

Furthermore, under the the leadership of director Ms. Kathryn Strickler, Cane Creek Middle School’s Eighth Grade Honors Chorus had the distinct honor of serving as featured performers on Monday, November 12. Having received the top middle school audition rating in the state, Cane Creek was one of only two middle schools chosen to perform. Cane Creek's performance marks the sixth consecutive year that a Buncombe County school was featured at the NCMEA conference.

"Music not only impacts academic achievement, it also shapes the way our students understand themselves and the world around them," Strickler said.

Congratulations to our BCS students who participated in this year’s prestigious NCMEA performances!

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High School Honors Chorus
A.C. Reynolds High: Will Poteet, Jackson Ray (Director: Phillip Haynie)
T.C. Roberson High: Madison Bode, Sophie Smith, Kathleen Kennerly, Nathan Meyer, Zion Morgan, Trevor Hagan, Alex Traynham, Jared Wise (Director: Aleisa Baker)
Owen High: Bethany Lanning, Drew Banzhoff, Chris Hunt, Kegan Newman, Throop Smith (Director: Katie Stephens)

Middle School Honors Chorus
Enka Middle: James Almquist, Myles Burrill, Reed Atherton (Director: Amy Almquist)
A.C. Reynolds Middle: Kenneth Chavez (Director: Jennifer Rayburn)
Clyde A. Erwin Middle: Anthony Letterman (Director: Lindsey Costner)
Valley Springs Middle: Nathan Feldman, Tristyn Welch (Director: Robert Waller)
Cane Creek Middle: Gaby Hinckle, Pheobe Smith, Grace Geoffrey, Paige Marino, Clark Garner, Vovi Lagutin, Joey Friedman (Director: Kathryn Strickler)

Elementary School Honors Chorus
Glen Arden Elementary: Valerie Brady, Caroline Greene, Eva Jones, Michaela MacGregor (Director: Rachael Bumsted)
Charles T. Koontz Intermediate: Sofia Gonzalez-Gulick, Olivia Holmes, Sergio Kitt, Brianna McCall, Kiersten Provine, Michael Schruckmayr (Director: Christy Woppman)

Cane Creek Middle Eighth Grade Choir
Phoebe Balcken, Charlotte Berg, Elijah Brown, Emily Brownfield, Angelina Dorman, Haley Draper, Katelyn Fontaine, Joey Friedman, Clark Garner, Hope Gerlach, Sara Glenn, Lilly Gray, Diana Gyska, Gaby Hinckle, Grace Holloway, Kennedy Housely, Ariana Igharas, Vovi Lagutin, Addyson Marino, Avery Martin, Justin Mikos, Madeline Myers, Caroline Pearsall, Lily Rogers, Marissa Shelton, Zoe Schruckmayr, Dana Wall, Naya Zimmerman (Director: Kathryn Strickler)

DISTRICT

Elementary

Intermediate

Middle

High

Other

Buncombe County Schools