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Albert Lea High School singers are busy preparing for a huge performance at the Minnesota Music Educators Winter Conference.

They were chosen to sing for the conference as only one of five high school choirs in the state by a vigorous audition process last spring.

The Concert Choir will perform on Feb. 16 at 2:15 p.m. at the Minneapolis Convention Center. They will present a 25-minute program with the theme “Who are we? Who do we want to be?” Parents and community members are welcome to attend. The last time the ALHS Concert Choir was chosen to sing at MMEA was 2006.

On Jan. 8 and 9, six seniors from the ALHS Concert Choir attended the Luther College Dorian Vocal Festival. This marked the return of the full festival after the disruption of the pandemic. They joined over 975 singers from three states to rehearse and perform under conductors, Dr. Andrew Last, Dr. Mark Potvin and Dr. Adrianna Tam. Participating from Albert Lea were Ava Cunningham, Stephanie Galvan, Angel Hernandez, Joey Maiden, Marissa Martinez and Luke Wangsness. These students also sang prepared solos for Luther voice faculty as part of a scholarship audition or for extra coaching for solo and ensemble. Hernandez was chosen for honorable mention for his performance. Cunningham was chosen as one of the five final soloists to perform for over 2,000 people at the culminating concert. She was the only female chosen from over 200 soloists and the first from Albert Lea to ever sing at the concert in well over 30 years.

In addition, about 40 soloists are preparing for the Minnesota State High School League Solo and Ensemble contest to be held in Albert Lea on Feb. 4. The event will feature student musicians from Owatonna, Austin, Faribault and Albert Lea high schools. This is the first time Albert Lea will host this event and parents are encouraged to attend to listen to their students.