By DICK MASON • The Observer

LA GRANDE — No state choir championship experience? No problem.

The La Grande High School A Cappella Choir, competing without a single member who had ever sang at the state championships, easily won its third straight state Class 4A title Saturday, May 7, at Oregon State University, Corvallis. La Grande finished with 334 points to easily beat runner-up McLoughlin High School, which finished with 308 points.

The a cappella choir members knew they had a good chance of winning, but many didn’t rest easy until the final results were announced.

“It was surreal. I was confident but it did not fully hit me until I heard the results,” said LHS junior Brielle Hood.

LHS senior Jarom Huntsman said he felt an overwhelming sensation when the results were announced.

“It wasn’t real until then,” he said.

Last weekend’s championship event was the first time the Oregon School Activities Association had conducted state 4A choir championships since 2019 because of the COVID-19 pandemic, which forced the cancellation of the competition in 2020 and 2021.

LHS A Cappella Choir Director Kevin Durfee said the group’s complete lack of state competition experience made preparing for state more challenging, but he said the choir’s members rose to the occasion.

“They did an outstanding job,” Durfee said. “I’m proud of the job they did.”

LHS has now won six state titles in the past 10 years, claiming the title in 2012, 2013, 2015, 2018 (when it tied for first) and 2019, all under the direction of Durfee. This is the second time LHS has won three straight state choir titles — it won state championships in 2001, 2002 and 2003 under the direction of Michael Frasier.

LHS junior Samantha Perry said she is proud to be part of a program with such a strong legacy and she was delighted by the sense of joy she saw on the faces of her fellow choir members when the final results were announced.

“I was so happy for everybody,” she said.

Screams to remember

Many, including LHS senior Kierstyn Harder, expressed their emotions vocally.

“I kind of screamed and everyone else was screaming too,” she said.

Junior Owen Rinker credits this year’s state title to the fact that everyone in the choir made winning at state a primary objective.

“We all had the same goal and we worked together,” he said.

Sophomore Kai Carson, who is a member of the choir with his brother, Braden, a senior, noted that their oldest sister, Marissa, was a member of the LHS A Cappella Choir when it won a state title in 2015.

“It is nice to continue a family tradition,” Carson said.

LHS sophomore Kaitlin Brock said she was not extremely tense at the state championships and enjoyed the experience.

“I didn’t feel pressure,” she said. “It was fun to be around friends and be close to them.”

Attention to details pays dividends

Sophomore Lana Emerson said the success of the LHS A Cappella Choir is a credit to Durfee and his wife, Kascie, its assistant director.

Maezie Wilcox, also a sophomore, commented on the Durfees’ attention to details.

“They focus on the small things to make us better,” Willcox said.

Kevin Durfee agrees that he and his wife are always sticklers for details.

“We know what we want to hear,” the director said. “We are addicted to high-quality sound. We are relentlessly trying to get it day after day.”