The countdown is on as vocal music students prepare for the “District Small Ensemble and Solo Contest” at High Street Baptist Church. The competition takes place on March 13.

“They are all on track right now and working very hard,” said Choir Director Debra Futrell. The next step for those that receive a “1″ rating is state competition in May.

Hillcrest will be well represented at districts with 17 sololists and 17 ensembles taking part. One of the soloists is junior Brandon Meador, who said, “I am hoping to make it to state this year. I came close last year with a ‘2+’ rating. I hope to see a lot more people from Hillcrest make it to state.”

The Hillcrest choirs will be on display this Sunday, December 13 in the CBC chapel.

The choirs, under the direction of Debbie Futrell, will perform at 3 p.m. The community is welcome to attend.

The madrigal was in rehearsal in the auditorium, and the clip to the left provides a sneak preview of this weekend’s performance.

Hillcrest’s Varsity choir had a successful fall concert and has now begun working on pieces for the upcoming winter concert, which will be held on December 13th. Classic pieces like “Carol of The Bells” are being rehearsed along with some unfamiliar pieces like “The Virgin Mary” and “Wexford Carol”.

The choir is also preparing for small ensemble contest which are held earlier than previous years, before this spring break. Preparations will begin before winter break, so “There’s no rest for the weary,” says Futrell.

Congratulations to the All-District seniors who all four were ranked the top 25 in their catagories: Matt Stidham, Derek Skidmore, Amanda Vigil, Stephanie Urritia.

The beginning of the choir year means new voices added to the blend, and for the varsity Choir, it means new music selections as well.

“I’ve really enjoyed some of the pieces picked for us this year,” said senior Tyler Bueno, the vice president of the Choir.

The students are rehearsing popular songs by Billy Joel and the Eagles, but Choir Director Debra Futrell’s choices are designed not only to show off the talent of the group, but to enhance the learning process as well.

“We want to get better at sight reading, so we could hopefully score a ‘one’ rating at the sight reading contests this year. I also would love for everyone to take ownership in the choir and become a better individual performer, making the overall choir stronger as a whole and hopefully give entertaining performances all year round,” said Futrell.

The first choir performance will be October 8 at Hillcrest, followed by the annual winter concert December 18.

Some of the underclassmen in choir have already earned recognition. The All-District freshmen and sophomores are: Cassidy Owe, Emma Walter, Samantha Stevens, Lizzy Szabo, Alvin Robertson