La Grande High School's a cappella choir wins fourth straight state title

May 10—LA GRANDE — La Grande High School's a cappella choir is continuing to reign supreme.

The choir won its fourth straight state title in the Class 4A classification on Friday, May 5, at the Oregon School Activities Association state choir championships in Corvallis. The triumph was particularly impressive because it came in the face of new obstacles — two daunting opponents from larger schools and a judge who docked La Grande because of its traditional attire.

La Grande earned 304 points to top St. Helens, which placed second with 291 points, and North Bend, which took third with 286 points. St. Helens and North Bend both competed in the 5A classification for larger schools before moving into the 4A classification for smaller schools last summer.

"It was intimidating to be competing against much bigger high schools," Kascie Durfee, assistant choir director, said.

She and her husband, Kevin Durfee, the choir's director, encouraged students to have tunnel vision while performing in an effort to reduce the intimidation factor.

"We told them to focus on the music," Kascie Durfee said.

A second new obstacle was a judge who docked La Grande five points because its singers wore gender specific clothing, Durfee said, adding the boys wore suits and the girls wore dresses. The judge wanted the members of each choir to wear the same clothing regardless of their gender.

The judge penalized other schools for the same infraction, creating such an uproar that the judge stopped the practice of penalizing choirs for nongender neutral dress by the time the larger class 6A schools began competing, Durfee said.

La Grande senior Samantha Perry said the additional challenges the choir faced at state made this year's title more meaningful.

"It was very emotional for us," she said. "We were more excited."

Sophomore Eliza Durfee, the daughter of Kevin and Kascie Durfee, said there was more pressure this year because the streak mean more schools want to be the ones to knock off La Grande at state.

"It is a target on our backs, which gets bigger every year," she said.

La Grande's streak dates back to 2018 when it tied Mollala for first place at the state choir championships. The choir then went on to win outright titles in 2019 and 2022 before winning again on May 5.

The OSAA state choir championships were canceled in 2020 and 2021 because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

La Grande has now won eight state titles in the past 15 years, claiming the title in 2009, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2018, 2019, 2022 and 2023, all under the direction of Kevin and Kascie Durfee. This is the second time La Grande has won three straight state choir titles — the school won state championships in 2001, 2002 and 2003 under the direction of Michael Frasier.

LHS, under the direction of the Durfees, has also won three second-place trophies since 2009 at state.

This means there have been only two years since 2009 when La Grande has not placed in the top two at the state competition.

Kevin Durfee said he is proud of how La Grande's choir performed and is grateful for the support it receives from families and the administration.

Choir member Weston Durfee, the son of Kevin and Kascie Durfee, may never forget how he felt when the results were being announced. He said that after St. Helens was announced as the runner-up he know that La Grande had either done very well or had fallen in the eyes of the judges.

"I knew we had either finished first or fifth," he said. "I was quite tense at that point."

Seniors who were in their second state championship choir include Hailey Pedro. She said she was more nervous this year than in 2022 because more was at stake due to the state championship streak.

"I was super nervous," she said, adding she has been in choir since she was a sixth grader at La Grande Middle School.

Senior Owen Rinker said that hearing his school's name announced as the state champion was an emotional experience.

"It was pure joy," said Rinker, who has been a member the choir for four years.

Rinker said the leadership provided by the Durfees has enhanced his time with the choir.

"They are so invested in all of our lives," he said. "We are more than singers to them. We are people. We are part of a family."

Dick Mason is a reporter with The Observer. Contact him at 541-624-6016 or dmason@lagrandeobserver.com.