Camarata, the most advanced of the choirs at GCAA, has been busy with plenty of ensembles and concerts. Recent performances include opening up for Webster University at the Sheldon, competing in solo, large and small ensembles at Parkway Central, Cabaret in the Franklin Room in Soulard on March 28th, and most recently a workshop in Springfield, MO on April 10th. Future events include a choir concert on May 4th and a Six Flags competition in May.

Regarding the recent performances, many Camarata students have had a mixture of emotions, ranging from excited to nervous to amazed. Alyssa Poss and Zachary Clawges, 11th and 10th graders in Camarata, were very impressed by the Webster University Chamber Choir; however, they were less confident in their own performance.

“We did alright,” said Poss. “But there is no way we can top Webster. They were so good.”

“Their performance was… breathtaking,” said Clawges.

In terms of the solos and ensembles, the performances were rated on a scale of one to five, five being the worst, one being the best and signifies that the solo and/or ensemble goes to state competitions in Columbia, MO. According to Clawges, his peers did significantly better than he expected.

“I’d say the mass majority got a two out of five, which would be like a B,” he said.

Nine out of 23 individual students obtained a one as a score for their solo performances: Alex Betts in 11th, Mary Chamberlin in 11th, Zachary Clawges in 10th, Jaylah Davis in 10th, and Viktor Freesmeier in 11th. However, only one ensemble, called “Mixed McCole”, had this score. Members include: Tess Brown in 9th, Zachary Clawges in 10th, Sydney Hollins-Lewis in 10th, Jerell McCole in 11th, Alyssa Poss in 11th and Heather Williford in 10th.

Clawges and Poss both seemed to be impressed with these performance scores.

“When I say [I did] significantly better [than expected], I mean, the judge took my score card, and where it says ‘areas to improve’ she literally scratched it out,” said Clawges regarding his solo performance.

Wes Smith, Camarata’s director, said that the choir had an overall rating of one, with a two in sight reading in large ensemble contest.

“Just absolutely incredible,” Smith described the experience.

“They said it was really abnormal for a first generation choir to actually score so well in large ensembles,” said Poss.

Smith is also excited that some students will be able to go to state competitions.

“[It will] be a chance for other students to see what students across the state are doing,” he said.

Although many may say these performances and ratings were impressive, Clawges and Poss recognize some problems in their choir’s behavior back in the classroom.

“I’d say the majority of [my classmates] take it seriously but there are a handful who don’t,” said Clawges. “At times I think that they were very professional, but there are also times where they’ve done some pretty outrageous things. A lot of people kind of mess around in class, and that’s just a thing that’s gonna happen in high school.”

“I will admit that some of us have our moments,” said Poss. “Some of us are just really immature. But then, they’ve been professional at times, like, some of them know when to stop and some of them don’t.”

Another problem that students recognize is their teacher’s stress level.

“He seems really stressed out about all this, and he is, like, constantly telling people, ‘we need to rehearse this, we need to rehearse this, you guys need to run through this, and you have to fix this and fix that’,” said Poss.

Now that some of their performances are over, the students believe these stress levels have gone down.

“He does seem a lot more at ease than he was last week,” said Clawges. “He’s a lot more relaxed, and smiling a lot more, too; he’s definitely not as stressed as he was.”

Apart from alleviating himself from stress, Smith has had other noticeable reactions to the students’ performances.

“For large ensembles, Mr. Smith is really, like… he was really shocked, I guess,” explained Poss.

“I think he was more proud than shocked,” responded Clawges.

Both the students and the teachers seem to be excited about some upcoming events, and prior to their occurrence were excited about some recent ones.

“It’s work and play,” said Smith, describing the trip to Drury University.

“I’m excited for Springfield because while we’re down there, we’re going to be touring a chocolate factory. And…do I really need to explain why I’m excited for Six Flags?” said Clawges.

Regarding other events, singers may be a bit nervous, but Smith seems to be confident in their skills.

“I have no doubts about their capabilities,” said Smith. “I’m not worried about the choir and the kids. We have incredibly talented singers. I just hope we go into any event with a willingness to improve.”

“I think we are as prepared as we ever will be,” said Clawges.

In general, the singers in Camarata seem to have some doubts about recent events and upcoming ones. However, Smith is confident in them and believes they have true talent and can show professionalism.

“The students of Camarata are striving to perform with the highest quality that they can in technique, expression and professionalism. It is an ever-growing process but our singers are rising to new challenges and new heights,” said Smith.