Community Page Updated: Thursday, May 1, 2008 11:29 AM PDT

Swing Choir going to state

The Bandon High School Select Choir (also known as the Swing Choir) has earned the honor of attending the state choir competition, which is being held today at George Fox University in Newberg.

The BHS Select Choir placed second in the Sunset Six district competition on April 2 at Southwestern Oregon Community College, and also met the criteria for consideration to attend the state competition, according to John Harding, longtime BHS choir director.

“We sent in our DVD and were selected as one of seven 3A schools out of the entire state to be invited to the state competition,” Harding said.

This is the second time since Harding has been teaching at BHS that the Select Choir has been invited to the state competition; the first time was two years ago.

There are 27 students representing all grades in the Select Choir. At SOCC, the choir sang “April is in My Mistress’ Face” by Thomas Morely, “Ding-A, Ding-A, Ding,” and “Loch Lomond,” a Scottish folk song. For the state competition, the choir must sing for at least 12 minutes. They will perform the above three songs, along with “My God is a Rock,” an African-American spiritual and “Earth Song,” a contemporary song. The group also must sing a song by sight-reading, which Harding said is always challenging.

“This is really a good bunch of kids,” Harding said. “I’m very pleased that the Select Choir gets to do this. I had no expectations one way or the other, and the judging is sometimes very subjective, but it’s a neat thing for them and they’ll get to hear lots of other good singing groups.”