Buffalo Grove Student Named To All-State Chorus

WHEELING, IL — The Illinois Music Education Association's first-ever Junior High All-State Chorus, which takes place Friday and Saturday in Peoria, will be locally represented. Claire C., an eighth-grader at Buffalo Grove's Cooper Middle School, has been selected for the honor.

According to the district, the annual event will highlight the top student musicians from across Illinois, and serves as part of ILMEA's mission to promote music education and recognize outstanding student achievement in music.

The student musicians must first have qualified for and participated in the district festivals for the entirety of that day, which took place in the fall of 2024. According to ILMEA, more than 10,000 student musicians from elementary, middle and high schools across the state participated in a virtual audition process. Of those auditions, more than 7,000 were selected to participate in the district-level festivals. From that pool, 1,500 students are chosen to participate in the All-State Student Programs. Claire is one of 150 students selected, according to Jennifer Stash, choir director and general music teacher at Cooper.

Singing has been a cornerstone of Claire's, having first joined choir at the age of 3 and spending the intervening years learning the latest tips and techniques from her parents, according to the district.

"My parents are both my vocal teachers, and they've been opera singers since before I was born," said Claire, 'C.C.' to her friends and family. “My grandma and grandpa are also both actors, so I’ve just grown up in a very musical family."