Seven students were accepted into the Southern California Vocal Association (SCVA) Regional Honor Choir Friday, Oct. 7.

The SCVA honor choir consists of three choirs composed of students across Southern California chosen to perform in a concert. Out of around 600 auditionees, only 270 students get into one of the honor choirs. Senior Kian Chou, junior Ethan Chow, junior Natalie Choy, junior Joshua Dermawan, freshman Judy Huang, freshman Tracy Huang and sophomore Jake Xiang were all able to land a spot.

“I always seem to doubt my choral ability. I thought that I had performed really [badly] for that audition, so [getting] in, I felt rewarded for the work I put into it and felt really accomplished,” Chamber Singers alto junior Natalie Choy said.

Plenty of practice was needed to ensure the students were ready for the audition. Their choir director, Lisa Lopez, guided them through mock auditions during tutorials. 

“[During the audition],I was stressing out but we were somewhat prepared because [of the] mock [auditions] during class. Ms. Lopez helped us prepare a lot,” Chamber Singers bass sophomore Jake Xiang said.

This year was all of the students’ first time in an SCVA honor choir. Although students may not be accustomed to the honor choir’s unique environment and diverse crowd, it allows them to work with different directors and talents that may be new to them.

“It’s very exciting. I want to see what other people are like, how well they’re trained. I want to see if we can improve, learn new stuff from them,” Xiang said. “[We could learn] some different techniques from the directors that will be helping or conducting us.” 

The accomplishment of being in the choir itself can also benefit students. 

“[Getting in] really shows my drive and passion, since this is something I’ve been really consistent with,” Choy said. “It reflects [that] when I’m passionate about something, I will really go the full way to accomplish my higher goals.”