Mount St. Mary Academy choir students received some of the highest scores of all performers at the Arkansas Choral Director Association’s 2024 State Festival at the University of Central Arkansas in Conway on Friday, April 19, which earned them another Division I - Superior plaque to add to their already crowded wall of awards.
To receive a Division I – Superior rating at the State Festival represents “the finest possible performance for the event…worthy of the distinction of being recognized as among the very best,” according to the ArkCDA’s website.
The highest score possible at the State Festival is 100. The MSM choir – which consisted of Concert Belles and Harmony Belles – received an 89, 90 and 95 from this year’s judges.
The group qualified for the statewide event by receiving top ratings at their annual Choral Performance Assessment earlier in March. By receiving Division I ratings at both the CPA and the State Festival, they were named a “sweepstakes winner.” Only around half of the approximately 35 6A choirs that participated in the State Festival this year earned this achievement.
“With this being my last year at MSM, I really wanted to see these musicians achieve success,” MSM Choral Director Chelsea Allman said. “I chose incredibly hard repertoire knowing they could handle it with some hard work, and it paid off! I was not surprised at their Division I ratings, but it still felt like a breath of fresh air to do so well. It is wonderful for the senior Concert Belles and I to be able to ‘go out with a bang.’”
Congratulations to Mrs. Allman and our 2023-2024 choral ensembles:
Concert Belles: Ella Burdine ’24, Kylie Byrne ’25, Danijela Dabic ’26, Maria Ezzi ’26, Mary Kate Finch ’25, Maya Johnson ’25, Reese Kollar ’26, Perrin Kuhn ’26, Aubree McCullough ’24, Isabella Nguyen ’25, Drew Powell ’26, Clara Principe ’24, Theresa Roca ’26 and Abby Wideman ’26
Harmony Belles: Rachel Dam ’27, Ella Horton ’27, Mary Owens ’27 and Reese Reynolds ’27
With the State Festival behind them, the Concert Belles and Harmony Belles are gearing up for their annual Spring Concert, which will take place at 7 p.m. on Thursday, May 9, in the Catholic High School Auditorium. Admission is free and open to the public.
