Avon Lake High School Chorale Takes Top Honors at State Competition

The Chorale, under the direction of William Zurkey, are ending the 2010-11 school year on a high note, earning top marks at the state level.

On May 6, the Chorale, earned four straight Superior ratings in Class AA, the most difficult category of music, at the Ohio Music Education Association State Choir Competition at Medina Highland High School.

This competition included eligible choirs from the entire north east quadrant of the state. To be eligible for state contest, a choir must be rated superior at district competition (see below).

Judges comments on the performance included “You sing with lovely tone, good intonation, excellent precision and stylistic accuracy” and  “You’ve done a fine job of upholding your great Avon Lake tradition of excellence!”

Four Straight “Superiors” at District

The honors aren’t the first this year. On Friday, March 18 the Avon Lake High School Chorale earned four straight Superior ratings at the Ohio Music Education Association District IV Choir Competition at Midpark High School in Middleburg Heights.

District IV includes the western half of Cuyahoga County and most of Lorain County.  The Choirs each performed a twenty minute program before an audience and three O.M.E.A. sanctioned adjudicators followed by a sight-singing performance before the sight-reading judge.

The Chorale entered the contest in Class “AA’ which is the classification of the most difficult music and earned four straight superior ratings. The selections performed included: Verbum Caro Factum Est by Hassler, Amor de Mi Alma by Stroope, and Daemon Irrepit Calidus by Orban.

Comments from the judges included, “Beautiful, simply beautiful!” “A truly masterful performance,” “High degree of Sophistication,” and “You and your director definitely know how to make music.”

The Da Cantari Choir entered the contest in Class ”A” and earned an excellent rating. The Women’s Freshman Chorus also participated in the contest in Class “B” and earned an excellent rating.

More than 300 members of the Chorale competed.