Ravenscroft choir students Olivia Rivera ’25 and Shrutav Deshpande ’26 participated in the North Carolina Music Educators Association Honors Chorus in Winston-Salem Nov. 9-10, a weekend intensive clinic and performance that highlights top talent from across the state.

Participation in the annual event, led this year by Felicia Barber, an associate professor of choral conducting at Yale University, requires a live audition in front of a judge. While more than 1,000 students from across North Carolina try out, only 200 are selected to perform.

This year, both Olivia and Shrutav were recognized for an even more impressive feat: having been selected to attend multiple times. Shrutav was among the 12 students who were making their third appearance at Honors Chorus, and Olivia was the only participant there who had been selected four years in a row. 

“It's not often that there is a student who makes it all four years,” Ravenscroft’s Director of Choral Activities Robert Strebendt noted of the accomplishment.

“Honors Chorus is always such a magical experience, and I am so grateful to have been selected all four years of high school,” Olivia said. “I will never forget how one year, a clinician told us that when people sing together, their heartbeats align. Singing with such a talented group of musicians, I feel this synchronicity, and it is always such a joy. It is bittersweet knowing that this was my last year, but I will hold these experiences near to me as I move forward through this next chapter of my life, always remembering how, in our unified sound, we breathe as one.”

“Going to Honors Chorus is one of my favorite parts of the school year,” Shrutav added. “It helps me to work with fantastic musicians from around the state and with incredible clinicians. I’ve learnt to appreciate music more and more and sing some amazing pieces that will stick with me forever. Singing in that choir is an experience that I will never forget, and I am honored to be a part of it.”