Six young MLHS vocalists attend the weekend gathering
Mountain Lake Public High School Vocal Director Andrea Brinkman took six of her vocalists to the annual Concordia Vocal Festival at Concodia College in Moorhead, Minnesota on Friday, January 24 and Saturday, January 25. Attending were Kenna Gardiner, Lexia Peters, Kassandra Tellez, Tiana Sengchan, Ruben Fentanez and Ryan McCue.
The six participants were a part of the honor choir directed by renowned conductor, René Clausen. Students had a mass rehearsal and sectional work upon arrival that ran until 9:30 p.m. on Friday night, but were rewarded with a pizza party social immediately following. This was a time to unwind, relax and meet other choral students from around the region.
The next morning the singers were up early to rehearse again. They were also able to attend two concerts performed for them by the Concordia men’s and women’s choirs. After another mass rehearsal, the students took part in a mass choir concert lead by the Concordia choir, under the direction of Dr. René Clausen.
Dr. Clausen addressed the students and the audience briefly – but poignantly – at the end of the concert. His message was simple: “Music is basic, like reading and math. It is not optional, nor should it be.”
