A glee-ful occasion for Rocklin High singers

All five Rocklin High School students remember when they got the call, text, or Facebook message."It was probably midnight," recalled Annie Dick, a senior who sings soprano 1. "I was doing homework and Jake called me and said, 'Hey, we all got in!'" Jake Asaro, a junior who sings tenor, read a Facebook message listing the five Rocklin High School choir students selected for All-State Honor Choir and immediately called his cronies. "I was so excited because music is my passion," Asaro said. "There were thousands of auditions and they take 300. I was so proud to be able sing with that group." First bass Connor Morgan remembers getting a text from Asaro. "I just about passed out," he said. "I had to check the list online. It was just such an incredible experience and I'm never going to forget it." The five Rocklin High students accepted into this year's California All-State Honor Choir were stand-outs at regional competitions. They were recognized as the highest ranking student choir performers in the state, and invited to sing at what some call the Super Bowl for high school choir singers. On March 20, the All-State Honor Choir performed with three nationally recognized choir directors at St. Joseph's Cathedral in San Jose. The group made up three choirs: men's, women's, and mixed choir. Sophomore Angela Bassal, alto 2, said singing in the women's honor choir changed her life. "One of the songs we sang called 'Past Life Melodies' consisted of something called overtone in which a mysterious whistling sound is produced from our singing," Bassal said. "As we sang the song, each person in the audience was so captivated by it and were literally sitting at the edge of their seats. I feel so blessed to be a part of the All State Honor Choir especially in a time when several schools are cutting back on their music programs." Freshman Lauren Goette, a soprano 1, sang with the women's choir and said she plans to major in music and dreams of singing professionally. "I felt so lucky to be able to go, but one girl there was also a freshman and said it was the last year she would be able to partake in honor choir because of budget cuts," Goette said. "I feel music should not be anywhere near the list of programs cut … I think people are forgetting how truly important music is in our lives." Most of the Rocklin High honor choir students have a background in instrumental music and play piano. Asaro also plays most of the wind family and Dick plays the trumpet. "I'm so confident in everyone here and I think they're excellent singers," Dick said. "I love working with them all the time and it was just so great that we all got in." Choir teacher Meredith Hawkins has watched the students competing since last September and said she was blown away with their all-state performance. "To hear them, you would never guess that these were teenagers singing," Hawkins said. "The quality of music and the professionalism to which it was performed was of the highest caliber. There were times when I was covered in goose bumps, fighting back tears, or my heart was just pounding from the energy in the room. One of the conductor's said it best when he spoke to the audience, 'This is worth saving.'"