Vocal Victories: High School Students Excel at PMEA District 4 Chorus Festival

Three Sugar Valley Rural Charter School (SRCS) students participated in the 2025 District Chorus Festival. Left to right are Noah Smith, Brance Calhoun, and Alyna Basalla.

Eight students from Central Mountain High School participated in the District Chorus Festival this year, with five of them moving on to regionals. In the back row (left to right) is Victoria Guthrie, senior, Soprano I; Connor Kleckner, 11th-grade, Tenor II; McKenna Gray, senior, Alto 1; and Chloe Corbin, 11th-grade, Tenor 1. In the front row (left to right) is Sarah Long, 10th grade, Soprano I; Jaelynn Cozzi, 11th grade, Alto I; Kathryn Farrall, 10th grade, Soprano 2; and Claire Bowman, senior, Alto II.

Pictured from the left, front row, is Kedda Bissman, a junior at Bucktail High School who sang in the Alto I section. Kedda also participated in the District 4 Band Festival in January, where she secured 1st Chair in percussion out of ten other percussionists. Not pictured here is Bucktail H.S. senior Matthew Miles, who participated in the Bass I section at the District Chorus Festival.

Alyna Basalla, a junior at SVRCS who sang in the Alto II section.

Brance Calhoun, a sophomore at SVRCS who sang in the Tenor II section at districts.

Noah Smith is a junior who sang in the Tenor I section and placed 7th chair, advancing him to the Region III Chorus. Smith is also a seasoned trumpet player who recently placed 3rd chair in the Trumpet II section at the District 4 Band Festival

By Emily Wright

HUNTINGDON — Amidst the harmonic blend of youthful voices and unyielding winter weather, high school students from Sugar Valley Rural Charter School (SVRCS), Central Mountain High School (CMHS), and Bucktail High School showcased their vocal talents at the Pennsylvania Music Educators Association (PMEA) District 4 Chorus Festival held on February 7-8, 2025.

Originally scheduled to begin on Thursday, February 6, the festival faced a delayed start due to inclement weather, forcing organizers to condense the three-day program into two intensive days of making music. A reported 180 students gathered at Huntingdon Area High School from schools in Clinton, Centre, Clearfield, Fulton, Huntingdon, Juniata, and Mifflin Counties, ready to hone their vocal skills under the guidance of esteemed guest conductors.

The Pennsylvania Music Educators Association (PMEA) District 4 Chorus Festival is an annual event that showcases the most skilled and highly trained high school vocalists from various counties in the state. During the festival, students participate in intensive rehearsals and auditions before they close out the event with a collective choral performance. Each participant auditions in front of a panel of judges by singing a randomly selected segment of a musical piece. KCSD choir directors Brandon Kahley, Shelby Folmar, and Dr. James Eldreth, from Bucktail, SVRCS, and CMHS, respectively, guided their talented students leading up to this year’s prestigious event.

In most high schools across the state, students must begin their journey to the PMEA District Chorus Festival with a pre-audition in the fall, and music educators from schools within each district then determine who qualifies to participate. However, at Bucktail, general music instructor Brandon Kahley conducts his own auditions, given the smaller size of the music program. He selects the top-performing students with the highest scores to represent the school and compete at the district level.

This year, Brandon Kahley proudly sent two of his most talented vocalists to the District Chorus Festival: Kedda Bissman, a junior singing in the Alto I section, and Matthew Miles, a senior in the Bass I section. While neither advanced to the regional level in chorus, Kedda distinguished herself at the District 4 Band Festival in January. She secured 1st Chair in percussion, competing against ten other percussionists, and advanced to the Region III Band Festival, showcasing her exceptional musical abilities.

SVRCS choir director Shelby Folmar was thrilled to have three of her vocal students participate in this year’s PMEA District Choir Festival. Alyna Basalla, an 11th-grade Alto II; Brance Calhoun, a 10th-grade Tenor II; and Noah Smith, an 11th-grade Tenor I, all diligently prepared for the competition. Noah’s impressive audition earned him 7th chair, advancing him to the Region III Chorus. Noah not only earned his way to the regional chorus event, but he also placed 3rd chair in the Trumpet II section at the District 4 Band Festival in January, and he is headed to the Region III Band Festival for his prowess on the trumpet in March.

CMHS had a strong presence at the 2025 District 4 Chorus Festival, with eight talented students performing across various vocal sections, highlighting the school’s musical diversity. Victoria Guthrie and Sarah Long performed in the Soprano I section, while Connor Kleckner and Chloe Corbin sang in the Tenor 2 and Tenor I sections, respectively. McKenna Gray and Jaelynn Cozzi represented the Alto I section, and Claire Bowman in Alto 2, while Kathryn Farrall participated in Soprano 2.

Five CMHS students achieved significant placements this year, allowing them to advance to the regional level. Junior Connor Kleckner earned 9th Chair in the Tenor 2 section. Senior McKenna Gray secured the 6th Chair as an Alto I. Junior Chloe Corbin achieved an impressive 4th Chair as a Tenor I, as did sophomore Sarah Long in the Soprano I section. Lastly, sophomore Kathryn Farrall earned 10th Chair in the Soprano 2 section. These achievements underscore their exceptional talent and commitment to their musical pursuits.

When asked what’s next for the choirs at the high schools, Dr. James Eldreth (CMHS) and Shelby Folmar (SVRCS) highlighted recent successes and upcoming expansions in their music departments.

Dr. Eldreth announced that this year, a “Modern A Cappella” ensemble has been added to the PMEA district that includes high schools within Keystone Central. The Modern A Cappella ensemble shares a festival with the PMEA District Jazz Festival and follows the same guidelines, including the submission of a pre-audition video from each student for judges to evaluate.

At the district level, students from grades 9 through 12 can audition for the Modern A Cappella ensemble, while only students in grades 10 through 12 can audition at the state level— Contemporary A Cappella. This year, CMHS had nine students participate across diverse vocal parts in the District Modern A Cappella ensemble during the weekend of Friday, February 14.

CMHS senior Claire Bowman and junior Chloe Corbin sang in the Tenor section, while Annalise Brungart, a ninth grader, joined seniors Victoria Guthrie and sophomore Sarah Long in the Soprano section. The Alto section featured seniors Kelly Corbin and McKenna Gray, along with sophomore Kathryn Farrall. Rounding out the diverse group was senior Seth Reitz in the Bass section, demonstrating the wide-ranging abilities of Central Mountain’s vocalists.

Dr. Eldreth was proud to report that among the group, Chloe Corbin and McKenna Gray were chosen as soloists based on their audition videos. Additionally, the results for the State Contemporary A Cappella ensemble auditions have been released, and Chloe was selected to participate in the Alto/Tenor part placement.

Shelby Folmar, choir director and general music educator at SVRCS, shared that she is eager to broaden the high school’s music program moving forward by forming smaller vocal ensembles. One such ensemble in the works is a Cantori choir that will be comprised of select vocal students who demonstrate advanced vocal abilities and experience.

The PMEA District 4 Chorus Festival continues to be a testament to the commitment and passion that KCSD students and educators have for choral music and developing their vocal skills. As for the talented students chosen to participate this year, their journey to musical success highlights their dedication and hard work.