Okemos resident Kriersten Walsworth auditions for founding director Mary Alice Stollak Tuesday afternoon at MSU Community Music School, 841 Timberlane St. The program was founded 15 years ago, and since then they have received two Grammy Awards.
When Mary Alice Stollak auditioned hopefuls for the MSU Children’s Choir Tuesday she wasn’t just looking for kids with an enthusiasm for music — she was looking for students ready to work hard, travel the country and add to the group’s two Grammy Awards.
Auditions were held from 4-5 p.m. Tuesday at the Community Music School, 841 Timberlane St., and were open to any interested 7- to 17-year-old. They consisted of testing the singers for ability to hear and keep pitch.
Stollak, who is the choir’s director, was also its founder 15 years ago.
“Parents receive guidelines and expectations when their kids make it,” said Marybeth Heeder, director of the orientation office at MSU and parent of a choir member.
“They really have a group atmosphere,” said Heeder, whose daughter has sung in the choir for five years. “Instead of being competitive, they work together to produce beautiful, beautiful music.”
After the audition process, choir members sometimes perform in venues like Carnegie Hall or the Kennedy Center, a few of the places Stollak has taken her choir in past years. The choir, which accepts up to 60 members, begins its season in the fall and wraps up in the spring.
“They know that they’re in a professional group, and have a lot of pride in that,” said Dennie Hoopingarner, director of the Language Learning Center at MSU and father of both a current and a former choir member.
These standards are kept high throughout the music school, said Kate McAlpine, a music therapy junior who works at the Community Music School.
“I mostly see a lot of the paperwork and behind-the-scenes side of the performances, but I also know it’s a great and affordable opportunity for people to get involved,” said McAlpine, who also volunteers at summer camps with the music school.
The music school offers three different children’s choirs, personal lessons as well as band and other various camps in the summer.
Members must pay a $400 fee to cover expenses for the year, and scholarships and financial aid are available, McAlpine said.
The choir has more auditions scheduled for June 24 and August 23, and Stollak said singers who feel they aren’t ready for the prestigious choir don’t need to worry.
“We accept most students who audition, it’s very rare to turn any away,” she said.
Though this may be Stollak’s last year of conducting before retirement, parents of choir members said the director has left her mark on the program.
“Stollak has helped give our kids a joy and appreciation for music,” said Heeder. “I’ve never seen my daughter leave choir practice without a smile on her face.”
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