Approximately 266 choir students from schools in northeast Kansas participated in the Northeastern Kansas Music Educators Association’s (NEKMEA) District Choir Festival held in the Greg Parker Auditorium Dec. 7.

“The sixth , eighth and high school choirs sing here with a guest clinician,” choir director Scot Schwartz said. “The students have been preparing for this for a long long time.”

Choir director-selected students from the school can participate in the festival. These students sing together as one choir. Those planning to audition for the all-state ensemble must participate in the district choir festival.

The high school choir sang with guest clinician Julie Yu-Oppenheim, co-director of choral activities at Kansas State University. Each year, the choir receives the opportunity to sing with a new clinician, a prominent expert in the field, to get professional feedback.

“It went well,” senior Steven Skells said. “Doctor Yu was a great clinician, and the talent pool was great.”