Prairie View vocalists, band members advance to state auditions

Prairie View students, from left, Aleena Miller, Nate Herring and Rhett Pope will have the opportunity to qualify for all-state band honors after being selected to the District 2 Honors Band last month. (Submitted photo)

PITTSBURG – Two Prairie View High School vocalists and three band members have a shot at qualifying for the all-state choir and band following auditions at Pittsburg High School on Nov. 8.

Seniors Cecilia Brockway (Soprano 1) and Cash Lintner (Tenor 1) qualified for the Kansas Music Educators Association (KMEA) District 2 Honor Choir at the auditions and are now eligible to audition for the KMEA All-State Choir.

Cecilia Brockway and Cash Lintner sing a duet during a recent performance of the Prairie View musical. The pair have been named to the KMEA District choir and will audition for the all-state choir. (Journal file photo)

Sophomore Aleena Miller (flute), senior Nate Herring (euphonium), and sophomore Rhett Pope (tuba) qualified for the KMEA District 2 Honor Band at the district auditions. They will next seek to qualify for the KMEA All-State Band.

Those students and other students from the Prairie View High School band and choir went to Pittsburg High School to audition for District 2 honor groups, according to Prairie View choral director James Beltz.

Choir students were given the music prior to auditions to rehearse and prepare. Band students were given excerpts to learn in addition to scales and a sight-reading test. Auditions were “blind” auditions. That meant the adjudicators could not see the student when they entered the room to audition, he said.

The auditions for the state honors groups will be held on different dates,