Some of the best high school musicians in the state were able to showcase their talents in the All State Music concert Nov. 22 at the Lied Center in Lincoln.
Among them were 14 from Seward – 12 in the choir and two in the orchestra.
The musicians rehearsed Nov. 20 and 21 before presenting their concert Nov. 22. The students auditioned in August and practiced on their own ahead of time.
Choir
Brynlie Robbins, a junior soprano at Seward, said the students received seven to eight songs to work on. The concert included six.
“It was a lot of singing,” Robbins said.
This was her third year selected to the all-state choir, and she hopes to be part of next year’s group.
“This year there were only four guys who were four-year members,” she said. “It’s rare.”
About 3/4 of the group were first-time members, she said.
This year’s choir conductor was Dr. Pearl Shangkuan, the chorus director of the Grand Rapids Symphony and professor emerita of music at Calvin University, also in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
Robbins said Shangkuan was the first woman director of the choir and described her as “incredibly intense.”
“She had three pages of notes in the audition process,” Robbins said.
Robbins said her favorite song in the concert was Ave Maris Stella by Mark Thomas because the sopranos are featured in that piece.
She loved the concert because “I love to be on stage and show our work.”
Sophomore Catriona Mill sings Soprano II and was selected for the first time.
“I loved it. It’s unlike any other,” she said. “My voice was sore afterwards.”
She enjoyed the time between rehearsals to meet people and explore. As Soprano II, she sings mostly harmony, which said she feels more comfortable with.
Mill said the auditions were a little scary.
“I was uncertain of what to expect. It was nerve-wracking,” she said.
However, since the students record and submit their auditions, they could retry if there was a mistake.
Mill liked the different styles of the six pieces in the concert. Her favorite was Ave Maris Stella, but she also enjoyed Rhiu (Chaotic Joy) by Tracy Wong.
“All complemented each other in a perfect way,” Mill said.
She liked singing in the big choir and learning from those around her.
“It felt really good,” she said. “This was my favorite experience this year.”
Senior Mia Cobian, who sings Alto I, participated for the first time.
“A lot were overwhelmed, but I felt prepared. Mr. Rickert did a good job setting us up for success,” she said.
The three days were everything that she expected, including long practices. The most difficult piece for her was Hope Arirang by Hyowon Woo, which is written in Korean.
“They chose very good pieces,” Cobian said.
Another challenge was not humming along when the other parts were working. That was something Shangkuan insisted the rest of the choir not do, Cobian said.
Her favorite piece was either Ave Maris Stella or By Night by Elaine Hagenberg. Cobian said the Ave feels very hopeful, but By Night was fun to sing on stage.
Her favorite parts of the week were the concert and meeting the people around her in the choir. She also enjoyed the games in the pool at the hotel.
“I’m glad I made it this year,” she said.
Isaac VanBeek, a senior who sang Bass I, said the all state event was “a completely different experience than any other honor choir.”
Normally VanBeek sings tenor, which is written in the treble clef. As a bass, however, the music is in the bass clef, which took some adjustment, he said.
VanBeek had auditioned three times before, but this was the first time as a bass. He said he was thankful for multiple takes in the audition process.
The musicians learned they were selected via email, he said.
“I was super excited,” he said. “Everyone there wants to be. They want to sing and be the best they can be.”
Rehearsals were quite detailed as the choir went through each song until all the issues were fixed, he said.
“The director was great. I learned a lot from her,” he said.
He was excited for the concert and a chance to share the music with an audience. Some of the songs were memorized, which allowed the musicians more freedom with emotion, VanBeek said.
His favorite was By Night because the basses were featured.
Orchestra
Although SHS doesn’t have an orchestra, two trumpet players were selected for the all state orchestra – Kayla Albright and Sam Kenney.
Albright, a senior, was selected for the fourth year and said this was her favorite so far. She was part of the band her freshman year, played violin as a sophomore in the orchestra and trumpet in the orchestra as a junior.
Auditions included scales, two etudes and an excerpt from another piece, Albright said. Musicians don’t have to sightread.
“The music selected was really fun,” she said. “None were boring. Even the lyrical had energy.”
Her favorite was Conga del Fuego Nuevo by Márquez which featured a solo for first trumpet.
“It’s fun to do at the highest level,” Albright said.
This year’s conductor was Fernanda Lastra from the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra where she is Assistant Conductor, Diversity Fellow. Albright said she was to the point and focused on the music.
“We would play until there was something to fix,” Albright said.
In a band, the trumpet is usually the lead instrument. In an orchestra, that role falls to the violins.
Playing trumpet in the orchestra as opposed to the band is “a lot less taxing on your face,” she said with a smile.
It’s also scarier because the brass section is smaller.
Albright enjoyed working with the variety of people and said one thing she learned was “to work at something difficult under pressure.”
Kenny is a junior and was selected for the first time.
“It was definitely different,” he said.
Most honor bands meet for just one day to put together their concert, but all state was three days. That gave the musicians more time to work on the music, Kenney said.
The orchestra divided into sections for the first rehearsals, and the six trumpets were with a brass teacher from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Kenney said they learned a different breathing style and how to provide more breath support.
“With only six trumpets, we got to be friends,” he said.
The four pieces the orchestra played featured two with a more lyrical style and two that were more energetic, Kenney said. He liked the Carnival Overture by Antonin Dvorak and Conga del Fuego Nuevo by Márquez.
For Kenney, the best part of the experience was meeting new people.
“To be able to make music with people you’d never met before,” he said.
Each of the musicians said they would encourage others to audition for the 2026 groups.
“It’s better to go for it than regret not doing it later,” Mill said.
