This past weekend, the Counterpoints & Descants attended show choir nationals in Nashville. They stayed at the Gaylord Opryland Hotel and performed on the Grand Ole Opry stage.

“My highlight was performing on the Grand Ole Opry stage. Dolly Parton performed on that stage. It is also so beautiful and elaborate,” junior Counterpoint Liliana Andrean said.

Besides the excitement of performing at a world famous venue, the weekend together brought the members of Counterpoints and Descants closer together.

“We definitely bonded. I mean we were stuck together for four days, so it was rather easy. But the Counterpoints now have a strong bond. We were always a family but after practically living with them for four days, I trust them much more. I am so excited to see how each of them grow even more,” Andrean said.

High school show choirs from all over the country attend national competitions. The first 20 teams to respond to the invitation got to go. Counterpoints and Descants were the only teams to compete from Indiana.

“Just seeing all the different styles of show choir and not just Indiana’s style was amazing. The groups that participated were phenomenal and never ceased to surprise me,” sophomore Counterpoint Elijah Britt said.

Every team had 30 minutes to compete, including the time to set-up, the actual performance and the breakdown. The judges consisted of retired directors and show choir educators.

Preliminary performances were last Friday and finals took place on Saturday. The Counterpoints finished fifth out of 11 teams in the mixed division, after moving a spot up from the night before. The Descants placed fourth in the women’s division.

“It took a lot of hard work from everyone in the choir to qualify, and we all pushed to the absolute max and gave it our best at the competition,” Britt said.