For five years now, The Marion Masquerade Invitational has supported the competition of other school’s show choirs, with ours performing and helping host the event.

The Masquerade is from February 23rd to 24th, starting at 9:00 AM. The first day hosts 12 middle schools in our area for the competition, and the next hosts 17 high schools. Our school doesn’t compete, but hosts the other schools and performs a show for the other show choirs that are competing and anyone else there. Jonathan Dyrland is one of the main contributors and organizers of the event.

Dyrland has been teaching music and choir for around 16 years, and feels that the show choir is ready for the event. Most of them practice on their own, and even if they don’t they still have time to practice at school. “We rehearse every monday night for 3 hours,” Dyrland said. They have been practicing their show since July, and Dyrland thinks that they are confident in what they are doing. “I think the students are very proud in what they do,” Dyrland said about the show choir. One of the many hard working members in the show choir is Christopher Deeter, senior, who has performed at the masquerade two times previously.
Deeter joined music and show choir in his sophomore year after the show choir crew introduced him to the community and people inside the activity. “This is my last year so I’m really just looking forward to having fun,” Deeter said. The show choir groups have done many performances beforehand, some in the western Iowa area, and some all the way in Nebraska. This, however, was pretty much the last performance they have this year.

Our show choir may not be competing at the Marion Masquerade Invitational, but it will still be fun for everyone to watch all the other schools compete and watch ours perform for them. If this sounds fun, sign up for choir and audition for show choir next year. “If you guys are all interested in joining choir and band, do it,” Deeter said. So come to the masquerade this Friday and Saturday for musical fun, and grand performances from all across Iowa.