Auditions for the All-State choir conference took place in Dover on Friday, Feb. 2. From the 32 who made eligibility through positions in the All-Region choir, seven secured chairs in the Mixed, Treble and Tenor/Bass choirs. These positions were earned by Bee Golleher and Joules Margot; Sierra Gibbs, Jaycee Turner and Hannah Heston; and Pedro Hernandez and Chris Garza respectively. Alternate positions were awarded to Katie Wright, Nayeli Torres and Andre’ Davis.
Tanner Oglesby, better known as Mr. O by his students, has been the choir teacher at Bryant High School for seven years. He had high expectations for the number of those eligible for All-State auditions.
“We normally do have a lot make it to eligibility,” Oglesby said. “I think the most I’ve ever had audition [for All-State] was 42. ”
This high expectation was reflected by Bryant bringing the largest group in the region, having brought 32 of approximately 800 participants. Oglesby expanded on the numbers behind the audition’s scoring.
“There’s only eight first chairs because there’s eight voice parts,” Oglesby said. “We normally have a student that’s one of the first chair spots. One year I had three of the first chair spots. It’s hard to do that.”
Senior and choir president Bee Golleher made the highest chair in Bryant’s choir this year with a position in the third chair of the mixed choir. With a myriad of voice parts, ranging from Tenor to Soprano 2, they had high expectations.
“Last year was the first year I got into [the All-State choir],” Golleher said. “My sophomore year I was third alternate, and last year I got fourth chair. This year I’m shooting for [the] top three.”
Even with high standards and plenty of commitments, choir being only one of them, Golleher still considers themself to be laidback.
“I’m a decently easy-going person,” Golleher said. “I’m a little uptight sometimes, but All-State is one of those things that I really dig my heels into because it gives you scholarships. So I spend a lot of time one-on-one with my music, especially working at home.”
With three years of practice under their belt, Golleher has developed an exercise to prepare them for All-State. They practice their music pieces with what they call the pencil game.
“If I have any trouble spots while I’m running through my thing, I do a trial and error piece,” Golleher said. “You put five pencils in front of you, and you sing through…a couple of measures. If you get it right, you can move a pencil over, so on [and] so forth. You get it wrong, all of the pencils go back, and that’s how I get it down to where it’s perfect almost. Or as close to it as I can get.”
Golleher met their goal with a position in the third chair of All-State’s Mixed choir.
“[All-State is] such a big deal to me that I, like, I worked so hard on it, and I’m really excited to see where it takes me.”
Even if this hadn’t been the case, the positions held by so many choir students in the All-Regions is impressive in itself.
“But if they make it at all, if they make [the] last chair but they make the choir, that’s all that matters,” Oglesby said. “I mean, it’s an amazing experience no matter which choir you’re in. Saying you’re an All-Stater is a huge deal.”
