The biennial Grand Junction trip for choir and orchestra members was April 21-23. The troupe performed as their respective groups for judges. Both Advanced Women’s Choir and Symphonic Choir received perfect scores, as well as the Symphonic Orchestra.

“[Performing] was fantastic. I’ve performed many times with my school since my freshman year, and this trip and performance takes the cake,” junior Brandi Edmonds said. “It was not only a joy to perform on a college campus, but it was super exciting to be given such great feedback, and our amazing scores of course.”

The group performs an entire program, normally consisting of at least three pieces. The performance is rated based upon categories that relate to the art. Orchestras are graded based on categories such as tone quality, rhythm, and ensemble precision, where as the Choirs are graded on phrasing, breathing, diction, balance, etc..

“Performing was incredible,” senior and Symphonic Orchestra Violin player, Loralee Bandy said. “The auditorium we played in had great acoustics, so we could hear almost each player individually. I feel that we were all really aware of each other and focused on the music.”

After the Orchestra performance, one of the judges comes onto the stage for a few minutes for a ‘Clinic.’ A ‘Clinic’ is a period of time where one of the judges gives feedback on the performance. After the ‘Clinic’, the scores are given.

The scoring process is very similar to golf, where the lowest score is actually the best. Performances can receive ratings from anywhere in between Superior with a score of 14-19, all the way to Unprepared with a score of 70.

“We were definitely excited to find out how we did. The judge from our clinic had given us good comments, but I did not expect us to get a perfect score,” Bandy said.

Edmonds, a member of Advanced Women’s choir, had a similar reaction. “[Waiting to hear the score was] nerve-wracking! My choir and I were so happy  when we got done because we knew we did better than we have been doing before. We kept reassuring each other that no matter what we got, we did our best.”

When the students received their scores, many were in shock.

“It took a second for me to realize how well we had actually done,” Bandy said. “I thought, ‘Oh, cool, we got Superior,’ and then, ‘Wait. All ones is perfect!’ It was truly rewarding to see all of our hard work pay off with our score.”

Other reactions to the perfect score were a little more emotional. “I cried, to be completely honest,” Edmonds said. “I started to cry in front of my choir because I was not only super proud, but so happy that everyone’s hard work got us a perfect score. I wasn’t the only one who cried either; a few did! It was like all the stress and worry about it was lifted off once our teacher told us.”

The pieces that were chosen for the performance often had a deeper significance other than it being something that they played well.

“The Danza Final is probably my favorite piece,” Bandy said. “We played it with some of the band members, and I loved the energy and sound we produced. It’s also a well-known piece that we’ve seen a famous recording of by the Simon Bolivar Youth Orchestra, so it was nice to be able to play it as well.”

The whole trip was emotional, and after their return the students reflect on what these programs have given them.

“I love having the opportunity to play in such a high-quality orchestra with such great teachers and students. It has been so much fun, and it has really helped me develop my skills over the years,” Bandy said.

“This event is a very special place where you can find so many different emotions, people, and songs in one place,” Edmonds said. “I think everyone needs to experience it at least once!”