After years of dedication and perseverance, Allie Calvert has made history as the second chair in the all-state choir, an honorable accomplishment that makes her the first student from Memorial High School to reach this prestigious level in the competition.
“I didn’t expect it,” Calvert said. “I’ve been trying for all-state every year since freshman year, and every year I made it to area, but never to all-state. I was really close last year, and when I didn’t make it, I was disappointed. This year, I stayed positive, but I was still shocked when I got second chair. It’s super surprising and crazy.”
Allie’s choir journey began in middle school, but her love for singing started even earlier.
“I started choir class in middle school, but I had done it in elementary school and church before that,” Calvert said. “When I had to pick my electives in fifth grade, I decided to stick with choir because I loved singing.”
Her favorite type of music to sing is musical theatre because it combines singing and acting. Allie sings as a soprano 2.
“Soprano 2 is slightly lower than soprano 1,” Calvert said. “I’ve stuck with it because it fits my voice and feels natural to me.”
One of Allie’s favorite parts of choir is how accessible it is and how it brings people together.
“I love how singing doesn’t require an instrument,” Calvert said, “You can sing anywhere, and I think that makes it accessible to so many people. It’s a great way to connect with others.”
The moment Allie found out she earned second chair was exciting and emotional.
“We had auditions all day, and later Mrs. (Melanie) Coons told me,” Calvert said, “My mom was there recording, and I just started crying from excitement.”
For Allie, becoming the first all-state choir singer at Memorial High School is a huge honor and a very cool thing. As Allie’s choir director, Coons has seen her grow over the years.
“She’s worked so hard, and it’s great to see her finally get the recognition she deserves,” Coons said. “I’m very proud of her.”
Allie practices regularly to improve her voice, singing about 10 hours a week between school, theatre, church and on her own. She tries not to overdo it to protect her voice.
Looking to the future, Allie wants to pursue a career in journalism.
“I want to major in journalism and become a news anchor, but I also want to continue doing choir in college,” Calvert said.
Allie has a message she would like to say to her freshman self that she thinks would be useful to other people in choir.
“I would say to not let rejection and failure discourage you,” Calvert said. “Don’t let people’s criticism discourage you, take it and learn from it. Sometimes things take longer than you wish they did, but in the end you just need to keep trying to finally get it.”
