Gehlen, LCS students selected for Opus Honor Choir Festival

Gehlen Catholic eighth grade student Sara Roder has been selected for the Opus Honor Choir Festival. This is her fourth year participating in the festival. [Click to enlarge]

Students from Le Mars Community Schools and Gehlen Catholic School have been chosen to participate in the 23rd annual Opus Honor Choir Festival.

Gehlen Catholic eighth grade student Sara Roder will make her fourth appearance in an Opus Honor Choir. She also received the high honor of being chosen as a solo finalist for the song, "Benedictus" in the 7th & 8th Grade Girls Honor Choir.

Roder is the daughter of Terry and Patty Roder.

Le Mars Community Middle School students chosen to participate in Opus Honor Choirs are, front row (from left) -- Austin Mack, Ian Johnson and Dominick Castle. Back row -- Josh Sluiter, Karter Ewing and Marty Balmer. [Click to enlarge]

Beverly Evans is the TK-8 music director at Gehlen Catholic.

LCS eighth grade students selected are: Marty Balmer, son of Kathy Balmer; Karter Ewing, son of Randy and Nancy Ewing; Austin Mack, son of Matt and Cathy Krommenhoek; Josh Sluiter, son of Michael and Jill Sluiter; Dominick Castle, son of Scott and Madonna Castle; and Ian Johnson, son of Jamie and Missy Johnson.

The five will be members of the 7th and 8th Grade Boys Honor Choir.

The LCS students are under the direction of Nancy Ewing.

The students were selected from more than 3,200 students who were nominated by their directors for 720 positions in four Opus Honor Choirs. Selections were made through a recorded audition.

The 2009 Opus Honor Choirs will perform in concert at 4 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 19, at C.Y. Stephens Auditorium in the Iowa State Center in Ames.

Guest conductors of this year's choirs are Carole Kettwick, 5th and 6th Grade Elementary Honor Choir; Andrew Last, 7th and 8th

Grade Boys Honor Choir; Beth Mueller, 7th and 8th Grade Girls Honor Choir; and June Schmidt, 9th Grade Mixed Honor Choir.

Tickerts for the concert are available through Ticketmaster.

The Opus Honor Choir Festival is under the auspices of the Iowa Choral Directors Association, Inc.