Every year, the best high school choral students in the state gather for a week-long music camp to hone their skills.

This year, Litchfield High School was well-represented.

Three high school performers represented LHS at the annual Minnesota Music Educators Association All-State Choirs camp at Concordia College in Moorhead, Minn., last month.

“It’s fantastic,” Litchfield choir director Joel Green said about having three students selected. “These kids work hard and they’re talented kids.”

For juniors Karin Hansen and Bethany Lindhorst, this was their first All-State event. Senior Nicole Northquest was invited for the second consecutive year to perform.

“I think after making it the first year, having so much, I really wanted to make it again,” Northquest said.

During the week at Concordia, the young women spent more than five hours a day practicing. Northquest and Hansen, who has since moved to Wisconsin with her family, participated in the mixed choir, while Lindhorst was a member of the women’s choir. There is also a male chorus at the event.

With three rehearsals a day, led by high-level professors from across the country, the week was exhausting, Northquest said.

The girls received the music prior to attending All-State, Aug. 4-9, but the directors were not shy about adding pieces or making changes during rehearsals, they said.

Attending an All-State event can be an eye-opening experience, Northquest said. Oftentimes, the invited singers are leaders in their high school choirs, so to join 250 equally talented performers can be overwhelming.

“Everyone wants to be there,” Lindhorst said. “So when you tell them you want them to do something, they do it.”

Read more in the Aug. 28 Independent Review.