Owatonna ensembles unite for one last choir concert on the OHS stage
OHS Concert Choir after performing their first song of the night.
March 13, 2023
On March 9, one last Owatonna High School choir concert was held in the auditorium. The school is hoping to grow its choir program as they move into a new school. As the high school choir closes its last concert in the auditorium, the high school came together with the eighth grade choir and the fifth grade choir.
This year for the concert the choir department tried a new system using tickets. All parents were given tickets so that every student could have family support. This helped with the flow of people as the concert changed from group to group, as well as guaranteed room for every parent to be able to see their children. The concert was streamed on Owatonna live for the community and others to watch.
For the last choir concert in the current auditorium many different ensembles came together to create an outstanding performance. From fifth graders all the way to seniors, the students came together to celebrate their shared time on stage. Wilson Choir Director Ms. Jessica Dant said, “The students are shown from fifth grade all the way up to high school, and to see the progression of what advances can be made in just those six or seven short years.” Throughout the concert, in a mixed order, audience members could see the progression of the choir as the students get older.
As the audience had fun watching the concert, so did the kids. Junior Amelia Cook said, “It’s inspiring kids to stay in choir because of the anticipation of what they could possibly sound like.” As the students watched each other and watched the concert progress, they also saw the choirs progress. OMS Choir Director Ms. Gina Mathison Elstad said, “It’s good for them to see what will come next and to see the Huskies choir and see the varsity choir, and just know that they’re still learning and growing and it’s not the end.”
The high school choir program came together for the last concert on the stage. Many people are excited to see what next year will bring and the traditions that will be made in the new school. OHS Choir Director Ms. Paula Asmus said, “I think it makes it a much bigger celebration of the choral music that’s happened in this building for the last 100 plus years, and I think it’ll make people even more excited to see what this program can do at the new high school.”
