West Salem High School’s top choir, Soundscape, has qualified for the International Championship of High School Acapella (ICHSA) in El Segundo, California.
Soundscape is West Salem High School’s top and most prestigious choir. They have made many notable achievements in the past and contain a group of immensely talented singers. They have competed in many prestigious competitions and have won many awards. Placement in Soundscape (the choir is audition only) is an incredibly notable achievement for anybody involved with choir at West.
When asked about his thoughts on the group qualifying for ICHSA, Drew Lovely of Soundscape said, “We are pumped. We’re going to California, near LA, and we’re going to sing for an amazing crowd.” The excitement among the singers is certainly prevalent; they are soon to be performing in California, after all.
Mr. H, the choir teacher, also told of the choir’s morale. “They’re feeling good. They’re a little tired right now… We’re excited for the next two weeks to really start tightening the rest of our setup before we head over to California.”
Soundscape has made many notable accomplishments in the past. “This is my third year here, they placed first at District 4 solo and ensemble, then they placed second at State. My second year here, they placed second at ICHSA quarterfinals and then my third year here they placed third at ICHSA,” said Mr. H. These previous accomplishments easily establish Soundscape as a very talented group of singers and add to a long list of music accolades here at WSHS.
The choir has put a lot of hard work and time into their craft. “It was a lot of learning music by ourselves. And then the work together was putting emotion and musicality into the music,” said Drew Lovely. “I think we all really just want to be able to make music with as many people and in as many ways as possible.”
The dedication these talented singers bring to the table is certainly something to be spoken of. While they may be young, they are filled with morale and dedication to their craft. Mr. H sums it up perfectly, “They performed well, and had a lot of fun doing it, and we’re going over to California for it now,” he says.
The ICHSA is sponsored by Varsity Vocals. Soundscapes qualified for ICHSA after placing third in the quarterfinals in Sherwood, OR. They will be attending the semifinals in El Segundo, CA on March 9, 2024. If they are to place first in ICHSA, it will be the first time they’ve placed first in at least 3 years.
