Ethan Cardwell participated in the North Carolina Honors Chorus Clinic.

From across the state, 847 high school singers auditioned for the choir – the most competitive choral audition for North Carolina.

Ethan joined the top 176 high school singers selected from throughout the state. He placed 12th in the Tenor 1 section, where the top 22 from each section made the choir.

This is Ethan’s second consecutive year making the NC Honors Clinic, placing in the top 12 for his section both years.

The NC Honors Chorus gives students the experience of what it’s like being in a professional choral ensemble. The singers are given the music weeks before the event. Students are expected to learn the music on their own independently before arriving for the event.

On the first day, Ethan completed a full day of rehearsal, from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. It included a screening process to show he was ready with his repertoire. Rehearsals continued throughout the day with the full choir.

The second day started with a shorter rehearsal and then participants were able to get ready for the performance.

The choir was led by Dr. Hilary Apfelstadt from the University of Toronto, who traveled to NC to work with the Honor Choir. She has conducted 35 All-State High School Choirs. Through her conducting, Ethan has found a passion to further his education in choral directing.

Ethan has loved music since he has been young, and it has helped him through life’s hardships. He first started in band at West Rowan Middle School playing the alto saxophone where he played in the RSS All-County Band for two years.

Ethan began choir his freshman year at West Rowan High with Choir Director, Lamar Davis. Ethan plans to audition again for NC Honors Chorus in 2023. He was awarded a music scholarship to Wingate University for his first-year acceptance into the honor choir. This year, acceptance increased his annual scholarship offer to a total of $29,000.

Press release courtesy of Kristi Miller, West Rowan High School