For the first time in school history, a student has made VMEA’s Senior Honors Choir, VCDA’s All-State Choir, and ACDA’s National Choir. Senior Anna Bella Shimazaki has had a vocal career nothing short of impressive.
Back in November, Shimazaki attended Virginia Music Educators Association’s Senior Honors Choir as the only representative from Dominion. This month, Shimazaki will travel to Dallas, Texas for the American Choral Directors Association’s Nationals to perform from March 18 through 22. In 2023, Ella Greer represented Dominion at ACDA’s Nationals and was the first Dominion student to attend.
As choir president, Shimazaki helps manage more behind the scenes planning including logistical work. Shimazaki’s teacher for her entire high school choir career has been choir director My-Van Nguyen. “I think her best leadership role is won by example. I think everybody looks at her and they’re like, ‘she’s so kind and she has no ego’. Sometimes you might see somebody be successful and other kids almost resent it, but everybody loves Anna Bella because she’s such a kind and good person. I think she’s the perfect representative for us and to have that leadership, where younger kids can look and be like, ‘oh wow, she’s gonna go on the wall’,” Nguyen said.
Following her performance at Nationals, Shimazaki will then travel to Richmond for VCDA’s All-State Choir April 24 through 26. Dominion Choir Director My-Van Nguyen is the president of the Virginia Choral Directors Association, a position that does not entail reviewing auditions. This year, the auditions were in-person, in February, where students performed Nature’s Song.
After making All-District every year of high school which allowed her to advance to auditioning for All-State, her acceptance this year will mark her first time receiving this honor, a direct representation of how competitive it is within Loudoun County to make All-State.
The state of Virginia is divided into 16 districts allowing 24 delegates to represent each district. Students can audition for one of the eight voice parts which include Soprano I and II, Alto I and II, Tenor I and II, and Bass I and II. With every single choir having eight voice parts, the difference is that only four students are chosen for each voice part in a district. More specifically for Alto II’s, there are only four students selected of the 9-12 graders that auditioned from the 17 high schools in the county.
For her audition, Shimazaki chose to change her voice part as she felt she had a better chance as an Alto II after in school doing a big range of Alto 1 to 10. “For the past three years for All-State auditions, I have been auditioning in Alto I… But for auditioning, I only did Alto I [before] just cause I felt like that fit my voice more when I do certain audition songs. This version of the song and the key sounded better in Alto II,” Shimazaki said.
Shimazaki’s biggest inspiration is her older sister Madeline, a class of 2017 graduate. In high school, Madeline sang with choir and participated in All-District Choir but did not audition for Senior Honors Choir. Her parents have encouraged her at every step of the way starting with signing her up for voice and piano lessons to strengthen her sight reading.
They knew their encouragement and her hard work started to pay off when “Mrs. Padworski, who was her music teacher, chose her to be the lead soloist for [5th grade] graduation [and sing] A Million Dreams. That was when I knew that she could stand up in front of people, she wasn’t afraid,” Kristina Shimazaki said.
Recognition in the three honor choirs are the final piece of her high school accolades for her recognition on the Titan Wall of Fame. Her previous recognitions include making All-District Choir all throughout high school, making first chair with a perfect score, and attending Virginia Governor’s School for Performing Arts. Outside of all her hard word vocally, Shimazaki has also balanced being a seven-year member of the Dance Team, an extracurricular she began at Seneca Ridge.
“Anna Bella has been such a good representative of our program because she’s so hard working and she’s involved in so many things. I love that she can be on the dance team. She can be in community service. She’s involved with her church. All of these things as well as being an amazing singer,” Nguyen said.
The nationals conference in Dallas, Texas will include a packed agenda of concerts, sessions, and a college and university expo geared towards the underclassmen to meet with representatives of choral programs. Many headliners and choirs are invited to perform during the conference including collegiate acapella groups, a boys choir from Germany, a symphony orchestra and many more.
Next year, Shimazaki will attend Brigham Young University in Utah to major in psychology with a minor in music.
