Roland-Story Shines at All-State Auditions

By Brynn A.

There was excitement in the air on the morning of October 26, as 22 singers from the Roland-Story choirs made their way to Indianola to audition for the 2024 All-State choir. 

The All-State audition process begins in August and consists of months of rehearsing in a group of one to four people. Each group sings a selected cut from five or six different songs in front of a judge and this lasts about five minutes. After the initial audition, singers can be recalled by the judge to sing on their own. Some others are not recalled and are accepted into the choir on just their group audition. Singing in this ensemble is one of the greatest honors a high school singer can achieve. 

On Friday, the day before auditions, Mr. Stalzer stated, “I feel very confident that a lot of our students are going to have success, because they are very well prepared and a lot of them are looking forward to it.” 

Senior Allison Tjaden remarked, “I think it went well, I was really confident and I think the judge really liked me and Abbie.” Tjaden was one of several singers auditioning for the choir for the first time. 

After a great first round, seven students were recalled. These vocalists calmed their nerves and performed three more cuts of music. 

At the end of the night, eight Roland-Story singers were accepted into the choir: Aubrey Britten and Jenna Birkland as sopranos, Lucy Schmidt and Jori Witthuhn as altos, Mason Schnurstein and John Craig as tenors, and Heston McIlrath and Levi Britten as basses. Luccas Hart was also chosen as a bass alternate. Jenna Birkland and Lucy Schmidt continued their streak of being chosen every year, and Levi Britten was the lone freshman to be selected. 

Additionally, Heston McIlrath became only the third singer in Roland-Story history to be selected four years in a row. 

Overall, it was a wildly successful day of auditions, replicating the impressive numbers of last year. The chosen students will travel to Iowa State University on November 23 for their grand performance. 


Location: Indianola, IA 50125, USA

Popular posts from this blog

Back in the Swing of Things: The Return of Roland-Story’s Jazz Band

By Mason S. The Roland-Story Jazz Band is gearing up for a year of swinging songs, soulful solos, and jaw-dropping performances. After placing 3rd last year at the Iowa Jazz Championships, this year's band has big shoes to fill, especially to keep the rich musical tradition alive and prove that they are one of the top ensembles in the entire state. Students have been working hard to perfect their musical selections, from big-band Jazz Standards to modern funk hits. Lead trombone player Bradey Haberl said, “I think this year's music is some of the best I’ve ever played. It's definitely my favorite by far, but it is also by far the most difficult music we have ever played. This increased difficulty in music is not without reason. The rhythm section currently comprises all returning players: Aubrey Britten on bass, Cael Vermeer on piano, Mason Schnurstein on guitar, with Ella Murphy and Eli Van Hove both on percussion. The rhythm section is the glue that keeps the band togethe...
Read more

Roland-Story at The Iowa Jazz Championships

By Bradey H. On April 2nd, the Roland-Story Jazz Band played at the Scheman Building in Ames for the annual Iowa Jazz Championships. After placing first at the SCIBA (South Central Iowa Band Association) Jazz Festival to qualify for the championships, the band continued participating in contests and practicing four times a week to improve for this performance. Just a few weeks earlier, the band had clinics with retired Southeast Polk band director Ted Hagan and Drake jazz professor Bob Meunier. Using the advice from these two experts, the band finished polishing the four pieces they were going to play for the championships. The songs to be performed were “Hipper by the Dozen” by Al Horney, “Chicken Scratch” by Kris Berg, “Sagebrush” by Annie Booth, and “Hit the Bricks” by Gordon Goodwin. The band had only performed “Sagebrush” once before, so a majority of the practice time was devoted to it. In the final days leading up to the event, the band’s director, Kevin Masemann, made the final...
Read more

The Road to State

By Kelsey J. We had been preparing for this one day for months. State came and went for the Roland-Story Jazz band. But it was the preparation leading up to it that mattered the most. The Roland-Story Jazz Band was set to compete on April 8th at 2:45 pm. The two weeks leading up to it were very stressful and filled with tons of practice. Between sectionals, full band practices, and clinics we were booked tight.  To be able to become better, you have to seek the help of the very best along the way. The Roland-Story Jazz band’s first clinic was with Bob Neunier. He came and listened to the band on March 31st. Bob is the Professor of Percussion & Director of Bands at Drake University, where he is the conductor of the wind symphony and director of percussion studies. The kids brought him in to help give tips and advice to the band. With his elite skill set, he helped to lock in the rhythm with the rest of the band. He gave new ideas and insights on how we could take our band from g...
Read more