Four Students Accomplish Top Spots in All-State Choir and Orchestra

Three choir students and one orchestra student have made top placements in the 2024 Nebraska All-State roster, representing Hastings High School.

All-State is a Nebraska-wide honors ensemble of choir, orchestra, band, or jazz band, where high school students from all across Nebraska compete with each other and other schools for a chance to participate. At districts this year, choir students senior Camryn Horstmann (Soprano I), junior Ezekiel Verhage (Tenor I), and sophomore Gavin Nelson (Alto II) made it to All-State as one of the top two positions in their voice sections in the state, in addition to seven other students making All-State choir.

“Honestly, I’m not super surprised that we got three people to be (in the) top two. It’s a really big accomplishment, but I also know that our choir department is very excellent!” Nelson said. “I think our director [Christian Yost] has helped set us up for success when it comes to that.”

Verhage also was not surprised by three choir members placing top two positions.

“We had I think three to four get top two, and there were 16 people that went last year. They keep lowering the bar it takes to get into the event. That is not saying it’s not hard to get into! It is still a difficult thing,” Verhage said.

It is the first time the three choir members made All-State during high school, and their first time making a top two spot during their career. 

“I’m more [or] so just excited (for All-State) because I think it’s going to be a really fun opportunity where I get to meet a lot of other vocalists who enjoy singing and music as much as I do,” Nelson said.

Making All-State has been a long-term goal for Nelson and Verhage. The two had failed their audition attempts in the previous years before achieving success in All-State this year, with Verhage having decided to try out for a solo too.

“My first year I did (All-State), I did not put nearly the effort I should have into it and I didn’t make it… fair. Second year, I put a lot of work into it, and I tried really hard… didn’t make it. This year, I finally do it. I really work hard on it and I think that maybe I’ll get it, and I do!” junior Verhage said. “Then, (Yost) calls me and he’s like, ‘Yo Zeke, what’s up brah?’ because I got his voicemail, and he’s like, ‘let’s go get you that solo because you made a top two in your district, brah.’ He said ‘brah’ a lot.”

Aside from choir, orchestra cello member Mylee Mick has also made All-State for her third year in a row, marking a new record in her personal career.

“I feel like I have been accomplishing a lot in my high school career, and I feel like it’s going to help a lot in my future because I want to do something in music,” Mick said. “Each year I make All-State, I put higher expectations (on myself) towards what I’m going to do. This year, I want to try to make it to the top three in the cello section, so I keep expanding my expectations and I keep just working hard at it.”

Mick has been placed as one of the top eight cellists and will have to audition again to determine her chair placements.

“Once you get there, the top eight cellists (at All-State) are in there (in the room). They pretty much just go down in a line, so it’s a little bit stressful just knowing that the eight best cellos in the state are listening to you,” Mick said. “Yeah, that’s the scariest part of the whole (audition), but I feel like it’s the most important too because you get to show how much you work and that you pretty much deserve to be there.”

Those who made top spots have had years of musical training under their belt. For Verhage, he had been a part of choir for years alongside other music related activities.

“I did concert choir. That was also really fun. (I also did) Show Choir… I had a vocal coach during my sophomore year. I was learning piano as well,” Verhage said. “My vocal coach encouraged me to join the Hastings honor choir (at a college)… I also went to (All-State) camp, that goes over all the material during the summer… I’m also heavily involved in musical theater.”

Verhage, Nelson, and Mick are all interested in auditioning for All-State again next year, with Mick hoping to make All-State for a fourth time. The three advise that anyone who wants to try for a top spot at All-State should continue working hard and practicing.

“Definitely don’t just sit on it and wait. If you want to do something like All-State, take the steps to set yourself up for success. Do things like choir or ask (your mentors) what you can do to grow,” Nelson said.