Pascack Hills senior Riley Haworth was selected to be a part of the 2022 All-National Mixed Choir. It is considered a high honor to be a part of this ensemble which is composed of some of the best musicians in the country. 

Haworth received her audition for the National Choir through her previous acceptance into the New Jersey All State Mixed Choir. The audition process for National Choir was thorough, involving a solo, performance in a quintet, and scales. 

The 2022 All-National Honor Ensembles program will take place at the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center in National Harbor, Md., outside Washington, D.C., from Nov. 3-6. Here, Haworth will meet the other students in the choir for the first time and prepare for the performance.

“I am ecstatic to be working with so many talented kids from all over the country,” she said. 

The singer is also eager to find out which songs the ensemble will sing. Haworth always enjoys learning unique and challenging pieces.

“Practicing songs and then hearing them come together has to be one of my favorite parts of singing in a choir,” she said. 

Despite always loving singing, Haworth did not join choir until middle school. She started to perform in front of other people in seventh grade, and her love for it has only grown since then.

Haworth credits Margarita Elkin, the choir director and Tri-M Music Honor Society advisor at Hills, for increasing her love for choir. 

“She is an incredible director and teacher,” she said,  “I am so grateful that she encouraged me to audition for the National Choir.”

Elkin shared her reaction to Haworth’s acceptance.

“She has an incredible gift,” she said, “I was so proud when I learned that she got one of the highest scores in her All-State Mixed Choir Audition for the Soprano 1 section.”