The Mount St. Mary Academy Concert Belles received the highest overall score among all Large Treble Ensembles at the Arkansas Choral Director Association’s 2026 State Festival in Conway on Thursday, April 14, which earned them first place in the state in their size classification for the second year in a row. Additionally, the talented group brought home another Division I - Superior plaque to add to their already crowded wall of awards as well as Best in Class 5A Large Treble Ensemble honors.
The highest score possible at the event is 100. The Concert Belles received three superior ratings: 95, 95, 93. Comments from this year’s judges included high praise of the group, such as: “Wow! What a fantastic performance!” “Your performance has so many shimmering moments: your dedication to your art and to each other shows.” “Impressive balance.” “A lovely program.” and “Impressive uniform tone, mature and controlled. Thank you for the challenging literature.”
“It’s been an honor to continue the rich tradition of musical excellence established at Mount St. Mary Academy,” said Marcia McConkie, second-year choral director at MSM. “This year our program has doubled in size and we’ve welcomed several new students into the Concert Belles choir. I’m so proud of their individual work ethic, dedication to the ensemble, and ability to take on challenging musical literature with maturity while achieving superior performances. In choir, we celebrate our progress, but it is really rewarding to have been recognized by judges at both the region and state level for our accomplishments.”
A total of 149 of Arkansas’ most talented choirs, including 45 5A choirs, competed in this year’s State Festival. The Concert Belles qualified for the event by receiving top ratings at their region’s annual Choral Performance Assessment earlier in March. They earned the 2026 Sweepstakes Award for receiving superior ratings in every category at both the regional and statewide competitions, an honor that only a little over half of this year’s 149 State Festival participants achieved.
This year’s Concert Belles include: Danijela Dabic ’26, Rachel Dam ’27, Maria Ezzi ’26, Bella Guzman ’28, Lexi Holley ’27, Palmer Hopkins ’28, Olivia Kittell ’28, Reese Kollar ’26, Perrin Kuhn ’26, Monika Makowski ’29, Sadie Meadows ’26, Danielle Osih ’28, Drew Powell ’26, Isabella Thompson ’29 and Mollie Windel ’28. The ensemble was accompanied by Bob Bidewell on the piano.
With the State Festival behind them, the Concert Belles are gearing up for their annual Spring Concert, which will take place at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, April 30, in the Catholic High School Auditorium. Admission is free and open to the public.