Festival Choir, under the guidance of Director Tamra Krause,  traveled to California over Spring Break to compete in the WorldStride Heritage Festival in Anaheim.

The Sunnyslope Festival Choir – a combination of Vocal Ensemble and Concert Choir – received a gold rating and placed first in their category, and Vocal Ensemble also received a gold rating while also receiving an adjudicator’s award, which means they were scored, on average, 95/100.

Most of the singers attribute this Sunnyslope dominance to their choir director: Tamara Krause.

“[Our success] is definitely all thanks to Mrs. Krause. We would not be able to do it without her,” said Senior Mary Ellen Shaver. 

Even with such a talented instructor, performing out of state can be nerve wracking for some singers, but most Sunnyslope choir members took the change in stride.

“I love performing for choir, so doing it out of state is just a new and fun experience for me,” said Junior Max Brauer.

During this trip, choir members were also able to receive guidance from choir experts from across the nation, which was very beneficial to some younger singers. 

“You learn so much from choir festivals, and it helps everyone become a better singer. I think the underclassmen will apply what they learned to choir next year,” said Shaver. 

While singing was a big part of the Sunnyslope choir’s trip, they also visited some exciting places in between their performances.

“We went to Disneyland the day before we performed, and then after our performance we went to Newport Beach and hung out there for a while, and got some great food,” said Brauer.

Visiting these new places and being able to explore with friends was the highlight of the trip for some singers.

“Getting to travel with my friends and hang out with them was easily the best part of the trip to California,” said Shaver.