Choir will perform at the annual UIL contests from April 2 – 4 at Byron Nelson High School.

The contests will be held for all the schools in Region 2. Concert Men and Women, Belle Chanson, and Acapella will be participating in this event.

Choir UIL consists of singing three practiced pieces and sight reading a music piece they have not yet seen.

“Something that we have to consider for sight reading for UIL is you have to train yourself to pay attention to the director just as much as the music that you’re given,” choir president Victor Doan said. “It adds a whole deeper dimension of trust between choir and director and that’s something we’ve consistently excelled at.”

Based on the performances, choir will receive ratings and feedback from the judges. Sophomore Jade Des Pres said there are minor details that the choirs need to work on and she hopes to blow the judges away with their musicality.

“There are small things like notes and rhythm that everyone should obviously work on before UIL,” Des Pres said. “There are the even smaller details like all the different things with rhythms and pitches that you can do in a piece to really make it something special.”

Students from all four choirs have been working on several different pieces for this contest, and have recently started to practice sight reading. Doan said the directors are aware of the choir’s fortes and weaknesses, and have continued to grow from it.

“The directors have got a great sense of each choir’s strengths and develop us as even better musicians by pushing us with repertoire that tests the limits of what we as a choir can do,” Doan said. “The choirs have always stepped up to the challenge and done very well; that’s in part due to how receptive and flexible the choirs are, but also equally, if not more, the directors’ guidance and judgements.”

Doan said the UIL contests are set up in such a way to encourage choirs to do their best and develop a good sense with the pieces they’ve chosen.

“In keeping with that goal, I believe the mark of an excellent choir relies on three aspects,” Doan said. “Fully expressing the composer/arranger intent through the music, interpreting the music on our own choir’s terms by trusting the visions of the directors, and what I believe to be the most important, making music as a united front.”

Choir has won many superior ratings and awards throughout the years. In addition, Des Pres said she wants to impress the judges at this years contest.

“It’s just another performance,” Des Pres said, “We’ve been working so hard and for so long on this music that [we] got this. [We just have to] relax and show them what the Hebron choir is made of. I want them to see how hard we’ve worked on our music and I would really like for all the choirs to get straight ones.”