Gallery • 3 Photos

Molly Ogden

Junior Hannah Butcher practices her harp during her first hour orchestra class. Butcher was one of many students chosen for Allstate this year.

The best of the best. The elite. Numero Uno. All of these describe those musicians who are able to participate in the Allstate performance for choir, orchestra, and band.

And Perry is no stranger to this kind of devotion and talent.
Allstate is the best of the best musicians in the entire state, and the audition process is anything but easy. Before musicians can even qualify to audition for Allstate, they must audition and qualify for Regionals. All those who participate in Regionals then have the opportunity to audition for Allstate, where the audition process becomes incredibly more challenging.
Freshman Vanessa Chang is one of those students who accepted this challenge, qualifying for Allstate for oboe. It is a big accomplishment to make Allstate at all, but the fact that Chang made it as a freshman only verifies her talents.
Chang commented that the whole experience “was a little scary. I messed up a little bit because I was really scared.”
Qualifying for Allstate is a big deal for Chang because she has only been playing the oboe for 2 years.
Band director Brandon Keesgan commented that “[Vanessa] is a really solid performer. For a freshman to make Allstate is a huge deal because very few people were able to make it all 4 years.”
Chang remarked that “the week before allstate [auditions], I was playing three to four hours every day. [But it] taught me that if I really want to do something, I can actually do it.”
Band is not alone in its successes. Sophomore Maya Mortensen’s nearly flawless audition for Allstate is a credit to her talent. Out of 50 soprano spots in the Allstate choir, Mortensen is 6th chair, or 6th best, in her section.
Mortensen commented, “I auditioned, and [Allstate auditions were] way harder than Regional auditions.”
Auditions are scored on a 100 point scale. For choir, 60 points are allocated to the solo audition, and 40 are left for sight singing. Mortensen received and 99 out of 100, missing only one point on the sight reading section of the audition.
Choir teacher Jameson Staley commented that “for me, as a teacher, it makes me very proud. [Maya is ] very naturally gifted vocally and as a musician. She also works very hard and is an outstanding sight reader.”
Mortensen looks forward to Allstate for the challenge, but also for the rewarding choral experience.
To make Allstate at all is an incredible accomplishment, but for many students, one year is not enough. Junior Hannah Butcher, one of two harpists in Perry’s top orchestra, is going into her third year of Allstate.
Orchestra teacher Dr. Zheng commented “you have to be the best of the best [to make Allstate all three years].”
Butcher commented that for Allstate, a harpist’s audition is unique because “it’s kind of a basic audition, but it is so basic that you have to try to figure out how to showcase yourself to kind of stand out. So the hard part is standing out.”
Butcher did more that stand out; her last three auditions for Allstate have put her in the top chairs of the harp sections.
These three students, as well as several other students in choir, orchestra, and band the made it to Allstate, have proven that with talent and hard work, being the best of the best is completely possible, and the results are incredibly rewarding.