Two Hiland choirs make beautiful music; head to state contests

Kevin Lynch, The Daily Record
·2 min read
The Hiland High School Varsity Singers will compete in the state contest on April.
The Hiland High School Varsity Singers will compete in the state contest on April.

BERLIN − Hiland High School has been synonymous with success when it comes to sports programs, but the music program is lifting its voice and being heard as well.

The Hiland High School choral program enjoyed an outstanding and day at the Ohio Music Education Association District Large Group Adjudicated Events held at Granville High School. Outstanding performances qualified the Hiland Varsity Singers and Bel Canto for the OMEA State competition at Jackson High School on April 21.

Varsity Singers (Class A) and Bel Canto (Class C) performed a set of three contrasting choral selections for three OMEA adjudicators and sight-read an original choral composition on solfege (hand signs) for an additional OMEA adjudicator.

“Both choirs performed at such a high level, and I could not be more proud of each student and their hard work and investment,” said Hiland Choral Director Alexander Looney. “Special thanks to our incredible accompanist/assistant, Brent Schloneger, for his amazing contributions to our choral program. An additional thanks to Dr. Britt Cooper from Walsh University for his phenomenal work with the choirs.”

On the Hiland musical menu were ...

The Varsity Singers performed “Jubilate!” by Mozart (arranged by John Leavitt); “I Will Be a Child of Peace” by Elaine Habenberg; and “Music in the Air” arranged by Ryan Murphy.

The Bel Canto singers performed “Arise My Love” by Laura Farnell; “Dona Nobis Pacem” by Mozart (arranged by Patrick Liebergen); and “Crowded Table” by Andrea Ramsey.

The Hiland Bel Canto singers also qualified for the state competition.
The Hiland Bel Canto singers also qualified for the state competition.

“This is a huge accomplishment for our students, and we are excited to have two choirs from Hiland High School performing at the state level again this year,” Looney said.

Rehearsals for the state competitions are 3-4 p.m. Tuesday, April18, for the Bel Canto and 4-5 p.. for the Varsity Singers.

Times for the evening performance on Friday, April 21, in Jackson Township are yet to be announced.

This article originally appeared on The Daily Record: Two Hiland choirs make beautiful music; head to state contests