ANN ARBOR, Mich. (WXYZ) — A high school A cappella group in Ann Arbor is heading to a national competition in New York City. This is the first time in 11 years the Skyline Blues will be competing on this level.
The Skyline High School students recently won the semifinals.
Singer Lilianna Knopp said, “This is a dream come true.”
Tessa Wilson is also a singer and is in her senior year.
She explained, “I’ve been in the group for three years and I feel like everything I’ve done up until this moment has added up to this spectacular opportunity.”
The group is made up of 17 students, from freshmen to seniors. They will be performing against teams from all over the country Friday.
The team is led by two directors, Austin Terris and Lindsay CieChanski.
“I’m so proud of the work they’ve done,” CieChanski said. “I’m so proud of the energy that they put in.”
The Skyline High School students aren’t the only ones representing Ann Arbor. The University of Michigan’s “G-Men” will be competing Saturday during the collegiate level of the competition.
The Skyline Blues have created a 12-minute set. It’s not just singing, they say, it’s telling a story.
CieChanski explained, “Ensemble focus and really working together which creates beautiful dynamics and some really interesting moments in our music.”
They’ve had to host fundraisers to get them this far. It costs about a $1,000 a student to travel and compete in New York.
Knopp said, “My biggest fear is that we will not leave the stage feeling like we have done our best and we’ve left it all out there.”
In total, nine teams will be competing for the trophy and bragging rights.
You can follow their progress on their Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/SkylineBlues/
