Waukon High School Choir student to attend most prestigious Honor Choir in the state of Iowa...

Annelise Ellingson, a junior at Waukon High School, has attained the highest individual honor available to Iowa high school musicians by being selected as a member of the 2023 All-State Choir for participation in the 77th Annual All-State Festival Concert. Ellingson is the daughter of John and Bethany Ellingson of Waukon and is a choir student under the direction of Sarah J. Bieber.

Students from all over the state of Iowa auditioned for the 601-member All-State Choir auditions Saturday, October 21. Approximately 25% of the students who audition are selected for the Festival Concert in Ames scheduled for Friday-Saturday, November 17 and 18. Selections were made by means of a live audition. Participants will rehearse in Ames and present the Festival Concert with Choir, Band and Orchestra to the public at 7:30 p.m. in Hilton Coliseum at Iowa State University in Ames Saturday evening, November 18. Iowa PBS will record the concert for re-broadcast, and the Iowa PBS website - www.iowapbs.org - can be checked for the exact dates and times for the re-broadcast, but in the past the performance has typically aired around Thanksgiving. This program is under the auspices of the Iowa High School Music Association and the Iowa Music Educators Association.

“This year we had two students audition for the honor choir, Olivia Dougherty and Annie Ellingson,” Director Bieber shared. “They both worked extremely hard since the first week in August to learn their audition music! Making All-State Honor Choir is the equivalent of the football team going to State Football in the music world. Way to go, Waukon High School Choir students!” Submitted photo.