Trio of students selected for Opus Honor Choir Festival ...

Three local students have been selected to perform in the 39th annual Opus Honor Choir Festival, one of Iowa’s most competitive and prestigious youth choir events. These vocalists were chosen from over 3,000 students statewide who auditioned for just 720 available positions in four honor choirs.

Student selections were made through recorded auditions submitted by their directors.

Left to right in the above photo, Jocelyn Berges, the daughter of Cameron and Sara Berges of Waukon, is a first-year Opus Honor Choir member and was selected to perform in the Fifth/Sixth Grade Treble Choir; Lena Rausch, daughter of Kris and Ben Rausch of Waukon, is a fourth-year Opus Honor Choir member and was selected to perform in the Seventh/Eighth Grade Treble Choir; and Connor Buhl, son of Jonathan and Cathy Buhl of Waukon, is a third-year Opus Honor Choir member and was selected to perform in the Seventh/Eighth Grade Bass Choir.

All three students are also members of the Allamakee Ecumenical Children’s Choir, a community choir started by James H. Bieber and assisted by his daughter, Sarah (Bieber) Sweeney, that will be performing in the 49th annual Allamakee Ecumenical Concert in December of this year. They rehearse under the direction of Sarah Sweeney, who leads students from multiple communities in developing musical skills, choral discipline, and a passion for singing.

These three students selected for the Opus Honor Choir Festival will perform at 4 p.m. Thursday, November 20 at Stephens Auditorium in the Iowa State Center, located on the campus of Iowa State University in Ames. They will sing alongside other top young musicians from across Iowa in one of four Opus Honor Choirs. The Opus Honor Choir Festival is made possible by the Iowa Choral Directors Association, Inc., which has sponsored the event for 39 years to recognize and encourage excellence in young singers. Submitted photo.