MHS Chamber Choir earns gold at festival
The Monache High School Chamber Choir, directed by Joshua Sutherland, traveled to Nashville, Tenn., over spring break to compete at the Festival of Gold. The event is invitation only, and the group earned an opportunity to compete by scoring a gold in Hawaii two years ago. While in Nashville, the choir toured The Grand Ole Opry backstage and later that night watched a live show. They also toured Studio B, which was built specifically for Elvis Presley, then later recorded a CD in the same studio Elvis recorded his hits. They later toured The Country Music Hall of Fame and Madame Toussaud’s Wax Museum, where they were allowed to take pictures with their favorite country, rock, pop and jazz musicians. The Monache Chamber Choir performed at the Schermerhorn Symphony Center, where they earned a unanimous gold, scoring their first score of 100. Back row, from left: Joshua Lamb, Freddy Torres, Ruben Verduzco, Zachary Pascua, Arvin Sahagon, Marigil Nunez; Second row from back: Xavier Martinez, Omar Alcaraz, Jason Abou-eid, Gabriel Burns, Aldair Martinez, Jorge Camacho; Third row from back: Director Joshua Sutherland, Evelyn Leohner, Hailey Franklin, Breanna Burns, Haylee Castañeda, Kristina Hall, Isabel Sutherland, Bailey Gammon, Laidy Barrios; and Front row: Accompanist Jill Mehciz, Zannah Castañeda, Alyssa Ragasa, Richelle Pascual, Stephanie Martinez, Caitlin Ruiz, Gwendalyn Garcia, and Ashley Byrd.