Otterbein's Music Department Hosts All-State Choir
Otterbein University’s Department of Music will host the Ohio Music Education Association’s (OMEA) annual Ohio All-State Choir on Saturday, Jan. 19 for an all-day rehearsal in Riley Auditorium and Battelle Hall. More than 150 of the best high school singers from 78 high schools across the state have been selected as members of the All-State Choir.
This year, Otterbein professor and director of choral activities Gayle Walker and alumnus Brandon Moss ’05 are serving as co-chairs of the All-State Choir. Walker and Moss will lead the Saturday rehearsal, along with three regional high school directors: Theresa Merrill of Summit County Day School in Cincinnati; Andrew Grega of Grandview High School in Columbus; and Valerie De Tray of Kenton Ridge High School in Springfield.
The All-State Choir will rehearse at Otterbein from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Rehearsals will include instruction in vocal technique, language coaching for the German and Latin works, sectional rehearsals, and auditions for solos.
The All-State Choir will also participate in three full days of rehearsals and a concert as part of the annual OMEA annual conference, which will be held in Columbus, February 7-9. The All-State Choir concert will be held on Friday, Feb. 8 at 8 p.m. in the Grand Ballroom of the Columbus Convention Center.
“The All-State Choir provides a professional choral experience for outstanding high school singers, as well as the opportunity for the state of Ohio to celebrate its top high school singers,” Walker said. “The best choral conductors in the country will work with the singers all three days of the OMEA conference, providing them with a once-in-a-lifetime music experience.”