This was a special year for the South Dakota High School Activities Association's All-State Choral and Orchestra performance, as it was their 70th year. Over a thousand students from 140 schools across the state gathered in Sioux Falls on Friday and Saturday under the direction of Choral Conductor Sarah J. Catt and Orchestral Conductor Dr. Alexander Fokkens to practice and learn more about their music.
Garretson High School was represented by four students and were part of the 920-student choral ensemble under Director Erika Brown. Pictured are Jayden Davis, Calvin Larson, Gracie Fiegen, Director Erika Brown and Elizabeth Roth. (Photo courtesy of Erika Brown)
As part of the Honor Choir experience, the South Dakota Music Educators Association held their Elementary Honor Choir concurrently, which invited students from 4-6th grades to practice their own music and perform for both the high school students and a full audience. The Elementary Honor Choir was last held in 2019, and reconvened for its 25th year under Choral Conductor Sarah Papoulis on Saturday. Fourth grader Leif Moritz (Pictured above) represented Garretson Elementary for the choir. There has not been an elementary honor choir since 2019 due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
