Fifteen Lawrence high school students have been selected to participate in the Kansas Music Educators Association All-State High School Choir.

Students from both Lawrence and Free State high schools competed against hundreds of students from across the state for the honor. The all-state choir is made up of 256 singers, selected from the students who made one of the seven all-district choirs in Kansas.

“Congratulations to the high school student musicians earning recognition in (all-state choir) and the outstanding educators who work with them,” said Lawrence schools Superintendent Rick Doll.

The students prepare multiple pieces of music for the district and state auditions, and receive a score based on a solo performance. Following the most recent auditions in early December, six Lawrence High students and nine Free State High students were selected to continue to all-state choir.

Students practice both on their own and with guidance from their high school choir instructors to prepare for the yearly choir competitions and concerts, said Hilary Morton, the choir director at Free State.

“When students make district and state choirs, they are a representation of their home school,” Morton said ahead of the state auditions.

Morton said that once students make the first cut, they rehearse on their own with recordings of the songs and also practice sight-singing.

“We sit with the kids every day after school for three weeks leading up to auditions to help them get over their nerves, which is the hardest part of the experience,” she said.

The state selection process begins at district level. Thirty Lawrence high school students participated in the northeast Kansas district choir, which includes 52 high schools across 14 counties. Students with the top audition scores at the district level are then eligible for selection to the all-state choir.

Lawrence High choir director Dwayne Dunn said the work students do as part of their district and state auditions builds their skills for their school choirs.

“They’ve worked very diligently to prepare the audition pieces and their sight-reading,” Dunn said following the recent district auditions. “Those are skills that translate to what we do every day in choir.”

The KMEA All-State Choir performs at the annual in-service workshop at the Century II Convention Center in Wichita. This year’s performance will take place at 1:15 p.m. Feb. 27 at the center’s Century II Concert Hall.

Doll said attending school musical performances has been a highlight for him during his tenure as superintendent in Lawrence.

“Our fine arts programs are truly exceptional,” he said.

Concert tickets for the all-state performance will be sold through the WichitaTix office at Century II, according to the KMEA website. Tickets are $7 and will likely go on sale later this month. More details will be posted on the KMEA website as they become available.