Lunt wins Outstanding Female Vocalist at competition
now I get the heartfelt joy to be proud as a father as well.” American Leadership Academy in Last names aside, there is a moment Spanish Fork sports the only competing in the production where Krissy as one of show choir from any Utah High School. many featured soloists belts out a fiery According to choir director Rick Lunt, high note, holds it for an unnatural length this is both a distinction and a disadvantage. of time, and then, defying the laws of “When we went to compete at the physics, takes that note up another octave Heart-of-America competition in Kansas and makes it even louder before the song City, we were up against the best competing resumes the beat. As an audience member, show choirs in the nation. These other one cannot help but utter, “Wow!” choirs view this as their sport season. Lunt’s son was part of the tech crew They’ve been competing for sometimes and was sitting in front of his dad during two months already in their geographic the award ceremony. “I had to tell him to area and for us it is our first competition.” stop talking and pay attention. Then they
Rick Lunt’s show choir Evolution competed announced his sister’s name and he was against 12 nationally-ranked groups. like, “Oh wow, that’s exciting!” The classification of 2A means nothing. “It’s just humbling when any of the students Some high schools have hundreds of or groups win an award, it’s a real students auditioning for the few coveted heartfelt tribute to all their hard work.” positions, yet ALA, with it’s small pool Fifty-eight students, singers and techies to draw from, always manages to place and another nine band members make up somewhere near the top. This year they the show choir. According to Lunt, every took fourth overall and have the added accomplishment one of them must do their job excellently. of featuring the outstanding If they don’t give a unified effort, something female vocalist. stands out as a mistake. For Lunt
“It’s always exciting when you get a and for the students that all adopt this call from the producer of the event asking challenge, being good isn’t good enough. who was the student who performed as the One of his favorite quotes is, “If you are ‘blonde girlfriend’ and can you tell us her capable of being excellent, why be just name? And I say, ‘Well, that’s really easy pretty good?” because that happens to be my daughter By the time this article is being read, Krissy.’” Lunt laughs as if this admission Evolution will be on the road to perform sounds like favoritism. “And others from at another national competition in California. ALA have won that same award in the We wish them the best and thank them past. So I’ve been proud as a director and for representing our community so well.