Attention Yellow Jackets! The fall semester is almost over, but some very busy students are still putting in countless hours representing our school. You may have heard their voices ringing out from the Arts hallway, but probably haven’t heard about the incredible feats they’ve achieved. Our Woodford County Choirs are closing their impressive fall season with standout students and some very notable performances, so here’s a deep dive into it all! 

With three separate choirs and three a capella groups, this semester had our students buzzing like busy bees. Chorale, the audition-based SATB (Soprano, Alto, Tenor, and Bass) choir, has had its share of commitments. In October, they were invited to perform in Transylvania University’s Halloween Concert. The 45-person choir performed pieces from Mozart’s Requiem Mass in D Minor, alongside Transylvania’s band, orchestra, and various choirs. This show was far from their only feature at concerts, though. On December 6th, they were a part of the University of Kentucky’s Collage Concert, a completely sold-out performance on the main stage of the Singletary Center for the Arts. Senior Abby Baston, who first performed at Collage during freshman year, said, “Once the lights hit us, everyone collectively knew to focus but also enjoy performing the song that we worked hard on… It [Collage] gives us the chance to perform and show-off what we have learned, but it also shows us other types of musicians and how they have worked to make their contribution to the concert so great.” As an incoming University of Kentucky choir student, Baston’s experience offered her the chance to see the program she will soon be joining.

2025-2026 is also the founding school year of the new Woodford Singers, a male-voice choir (TTBB). The class yields an impressive 22 young men, many of whom lack prior choral experience. Nonetheless, they were invited to perform with the UK Men’s Choir at their Festival of Voices. One of these members, Julien Miller-Wall, reflected on the experience as “The best ever. I’ve had a blast, and it took quite a bit of doing for anyone to convince me to join choir but once they did, I realized I’d made the mistake of putting it off until my junior year. We, obviously, got a little bit carried by the UK Men’s Choir, but that’s to be expected between high school and college levels.” These new additions to the program have found incredible success in the choir room!

The choir community excels beyond Mr. Strickland’s classroom as well. Students are making names for themselves by auditioning for state and national choirs in their free time, and these achievements help put Woodford County on the map. The first of these happened earlier in the year, when prospective All-State auditionees went through an intense preparation process. 

All-State is part of the Kentucky Music Educators Association (KMEA) and is a two-day conference of high-achieving choral ensembles. Woodford students were required to complete three sight-reading auditions with Mr. Strickland, attend three KMEA All-State practice HIVEs, and compete in an “in-house audition” with judges from our region. After the top students from Woodford County Choirs were chosen, they advanced to auditions with a quartet of vocalists to perform alongside, and the expectation that they would complete eight measures of solo sight reading. 

While students are typically expected to prepare ahead of the in-house auditions, this year’s requirements were some of the most intense that current students have experienced. Chorale member Marlee Mays explained, “The HIVE requirements are such a big help. Having the opportunity to practice quartets and sight-readings beforehand helped me feel prepared…Repetition was a big factor in helping me stay calm, so I gained more confidence for my audition.” The audition results showed that nine WCHS students were chosen for the honor, with Mays being one of the nine. While the requirements may have been initially daunting, it’s clear they made the advancing students more confident in the audition room. 

One student in particular has made an impression in the Woodford County Choirs Program. Earlier this year, it was announced that Gabriel Resinger had been selected for the ACDA Southern Division Honor Choir, which is a national achievement. Resinger currently serves as the Woodford County Choirs President, in part due to his previous success of attending the ACDA National Honor Choir, alongside Abby Baston.

All of these accomplishments were highlighted at the final WCHS Choirs concert of the year. On Thursday, December 5th, the 6 choirs and acapella groups travelled to Calvary Baptist in Lexington for their annual Winter Concert. This year’s A Season of Nostalgia featured fun songs like “La Li Ley” by Treble Choir, “Holly Jolly Christmas” by the Woodford Singers (with a kazoo feature), and Chorale’s “Elijah Rock”. The concert closed with the combined pieces “Grown-Up Christmas List” and fan-favorite “Betelehemu”, where choir alumni were invited on stage to help close out the night. The concert was a hit, with the new venue being a perfect fit for the growing program. 

The season isn’t over just yet, though! While Treble Choir and the Woodford Singers are finished with performances for the semester, Chorale has one more in its lineup. They will perform at Kings Way Church during their regular Sunday service on December 14, with the church making a generous donation to the WCHS Choirs. Chorale was also supposed to perform at a Versailles Baptist Church Senior Luncheon, but recent NTI days caused the concert to be rescheduled for the spring semester.

In one of their busiest semesters, our choir programs have managed to perform stunning songs all while achieving inside and outside of the classroom. Students can’t wait to see what the next few months will bring (especially with the upcoming New York City trip). In a semester packed with concerts, auditions, and incredible triumphs, the WCHS Choirs may not have stingers, but they’ve certainly left their mark!