St. Joseph-Ogden’s Anastasia Conerty was not expecting to be chosen for the Illinois Music Association’s All-State Choir. She’s only a sophomore, after all.

“It is so unlikely to get into State as a sophomore that many students accept the fact that they won’t get in,” Conerty said. “Whenever I told a fellow musician that I was a sophomore, they were always shocked and supportive of me.”

Conerty’s road to the ILMEA All-State Choir began in October when she auditioned for a spot on the ILMEA District 6 choir.

In 2019, 25,000 choral and band students throughout the state participated in the auditions. By the time the All-State performance on Feb. 1 came around, only 288 choral students stood.

“I learned that I got into All-State when my friend Sam, who got into the All-State band, texted me ‘Congratulations!’” Conerty remembered. “I was really confused why she had sent that, until she said I got into State. It was insane to hear and I was so excited.”

In the weeks leading up to rehearsal, which began at the Peoria Civic Center on Jan. 30, Conerty rehearsed “Hallelujah from the Mount of Olives,” “The Isle is Full of Noises,” Voice on the Wind,” “When We Love,” and “Ezekiel!”

But the only thing she could think about was how different this All-State experience would be.

“The thought of being surrounded by people that were so passionate in singing and making music was wonderful, but I was also worried that I might feel overwhelmed from the pressure,” she said.

“After I started working with them, I realized there was nothing for me to be worried about. Everyone was so welcoming and excited to work with other talented musicians.”

Conerty began performing as a seventh-grade student at St. Joseph Middle School. She was chosen for the ILMEA District chorus for three years. In the spring of 2019, she took on the role of Ms. Sandra in St. Joseph-Ogden’s “All Shook Up.”

“I want to continue to keep music close to my heart and want to encourage others to find their love for music, too,” she said. “I love to sing and perform because it makes me feel good.

“It’s not a very in-depth answer, but that’s the most accurate answer. It’s almost like I can think of music as a family member, since it’s always been there for me and has helped me accomplish so many amazing things in my life.”

The opportunity to work under the direction of Johnathan Palant, Associate Professor and Director of Choral Activities at the University of Texas, at Dallas, left Conerty with things to work on as she grows.

“I learned about good warmups to use, how important pronouncing the text can be to convey a tone of a song, and so many other things,” Conerty said.

“The director was absolutely amazing and, by far, was the best director I have ever worked with. He constantly pushed us for excellence, but also realized that we weren’t going to sing it perfectly and that we were all there to have fun and enjoy the music.

“Working with the director has made me want to memorize my music as much as possible so that I can focus on putting emotion into the music more.”

Being in the arena at the Peoria Civic Center with the All-State Orchestra to the right and the All-State Band to the left, the moment was not lost on Conerty.

“I was awestruck every time I would glance around the arena we were in, realizing how far I had made it in such a short time,” she said.

But the moment that may have meant the most was seeing her family after the performance.

“They have always been so supportive of me pursuing music and I couldn’t ask for a better situation,” she said. “My grandmother was a music teacher for a long time, so it always gives me joy to hear her say that she enjoyed my performance.”

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