The Black and White

By: Bridget Pouliot

“All-State opens you up to learn different ways of learning, performing, and interpreting music, as well as meeting new people and connecting with them through music,” Pilgrim junior, and three-year All-State Chorus member, Savannah Pacheco explained. “I enjoy [working with] the different conductors and their styles of conducting.”

For many kids, chorus is a class they take at school. They enjoy having a little bit of music in their lives, but in school chorus may not go beyond that. However, for those who are truly passionate about music and want more exposure to the world of choral music, there’s a program they can audition for called All-State Chorus.

All-State Chorus – which goes hand-in-hand with All-State Band – is a collection of the best music students who gather together to perform. Students audition in November, and once in, they’re placed in an ensemble. Along with an elementary choir (grades 4-6), there are four choirs at the middle and high school levels: Junior All-State Treble Choir (grades 7-9), Junior All-State Mixed Choir (grades 7-9), Senior All-State Treble Choir (grades 10-12), and Senior All-State Mixed Choir (grades 10-12). While altos and sopranos – higher, typically female-identifying voices – can be put in either a mixed or a treble choir, tenors and basses (lower, typically male-identifying voices – can only participate in mixed choirs.

Rhode Island’s All-State Chorus is run by The Rhode Island Music Education Association (RIMEA). RIMEA was founded in 1915, and is Rhode Island’s part of the National Association for Music Education (NAfME). A non-profit organization, their mission is to promote music education at all levels; elementary, middle, highschool, and even collegiate music. They hold workshops for music educators across Rhode Island constantly, host Choral Festivals, and do much more.

Savannah Pacheco expressed, “I choose to participate in All-State because even though it can sometimes be a lot of time and work, it’s so rewarding in the end to come together with people you may not know and produce such an amazing product.” She was a member of the Senior All-State Mixed Choir this year.

Also a member of the Senior All-State Mixed Choir, Oliver Regent explained, “I enjoyed talking to people there, and our conductor, Dr. Redding.” To him and many others, one of the coolest parts of All-State is getting to meet new musicians, such as his conductor. A GRAMMY award-winning music educator, Dr. Jeffery Redding conducts choirs all over the world, and was even honored as top director in Verona, Italy, during the International Music Festival when his choir won gold. “Dr. Redding was so nice and had such a welcoming and different attitude about him,” Savannah Pacheco expressed. “His attitude made our long days of practicing go by so fast and fun.”

Along with getting to work with incredible conductors, musicians in All-State have the opportunity to perform some advanced music they wouldn’t normally get to at their schools. For Kyra Nava, a Pilgrim freshman in her third year in All-State, her favorite piece was called Murasame. “[Murasame] was a Japanese piece that was really beautiful,” she stated. Her ensemble, the Junior All-State Treble Chorus, performed four other pieces. 

Another great part about All-State is seeing what the other choirs have been up to during rehearsal. Skyla Hotaling explained, “The most enjoyable part was on Saturday when my group went to the downstairs of Hope Church, and went to perform and watch the Senior Mixed Chorus perform a song.” Hope Church in Cranston was where the Senior and Junior Mixed Choruses rehearsed during All-State weekend. “It was really nice, relaxing, and breathtaking, and we learned some things from them.”

“I think All-State is definitely something you want to consider if you are passionate about music!” Kyra Nava said. “I think it’s a great opportunity to gain musical experience, and I enjoy meeting new people and making friends!”