All-State and the Easter Cantata

God sent his Singers upon earth
With songs of sadness and of mirth,
That they might touch the hearts of men,
And bring them back to heaven again.

~Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Eleven kids from Basic made the All-State choir. Bryce was fortunate to be able to accompany them . . . on a bus . . . allllll the way to Reno (10 hours away). That's dedication. They left on a Wednesday and returned on Saturday night. The practices were long and intense, but  Bryce enjoyed working on the UNR campus while the kids were in rehearsal. Their director was the renowned conductor Jo-Michael Schiebe, who heads the choral department at USC. He was amazing and Bryce said that the performance on Saturday was phenomenal!

The men: James E., Kody M., Mr. Duff (one of the most wonderful men we know), Dane S., and Tyce

The group:  (back) Kody M., James E. Christina O., Emily D., Rachael O., Jenny B., Jordan M., Tyce, Dane S.
(front) Mr. Duff, Maddy S., Autumn D.

Silliness.

Out to dinner after practice.

Performance venue!

Imagine these desert-dwellers' surprise when it started to SNOW while they were there! For being in the same state, Reno really is another world away. Singing with such an elite group was a great experience for the All-Staters and they have every reason to be proud. 

The very next day was the stake youth-led Easter cantata. Tyce was the director, Emily D. was the pianist, and Autumn D. was the manager (she organized everything). Bryce and I oversaw the practices but left everything to the youth. They did a fabulous job. Their singing of the three group numbers--He Is Risen, Come Unto Christ (2014 Mutual theme song) and I Believe in Christ--was top-notch. The many solos, duets, and small groups were lovely. All Bryce and I did was type the program and provide pre-concert snacks. There were about 50 kids in the choir. They performed in the Burkholder building and people had to open the overflow area to accommodate the number of guests. It was a wonderful evening and every song testified of the Savior.

At practice.

He was a natural.

Tyce really did a stellar job. He was born to sing and music is his life. I am so glad he was given this opportunity to shine.