Blue Earth Area senior Ava Peterson (pictured with her choir director, Paul Johnson) has the distinction of being selected for the MMEA All-State Choir two years in a row.

Blue Earth Area senior Ava Peterson has done it again. For the second year in a row, she has earned a spot among the 296 students making up the Minnesota Music Educators Association (MMEA) All-State Choir 2026, who performed together at the MMEA Midwinter Convention on Feb. 14.

Just like last year, Peterson had to go through the audition process, which is open to all juniors and seniors involved in choir. She had to prepare and record three separate videos, including a series of scales, an excerpt from Alma del Corè, and an unaccompanied solo of her choice. The videos were then submitted for anonymous review by a panel of MMEA judges, who review the auditions and select students for the various ensembles.

“This year, I selected the song Gott im Frühlinge as my solo piece,” Peterson shares. “I auditioned as an Alto 2 again this year, but I got into a different group. Last year I was in the Soprano-Alto (SA) choir, but this year I got into the mixed choir, which is Soprano-Alto-Tenor-Bass (SATB).”

Following the announcement of her audition results last March, Peterson received her packet of music, which included five different pieces: Alleluia by Elaine Hagenberg, Echo by Jacob Narverud, O Schöne Nacht by Johannes Brahms, Laughing Song by David Dickau, and I Dream A World by Rosephayne Powell.

“Last year, when I was in the SA choir, the altos had a lot of fun parts and moving notes,” Peterson explains. “This year, since I was in the SATB choirs, the parts weren’t as low and were less interesting. There’s never a boring piece of music, though – the directors do a great job of choosing pieces with a lot of musical contrast and variety.”

After having a few months to rehearse the music alone, Peterson took a break from her summer vacation in early August to travel to Concordia College in Moorhead, where the All-State Choir Camp was held. There, she had an opportunity to connect with the students who would be joining her in the SATB choir, as well as the ensemble’s guest director, Dr. Timothy Sawyer.

“There were a lot of returning faces this year, so I got to reconnect with a lot of people that I met last year,” Peterson shares. “I made a lot of new friends this year, too. You just make so many connections and memories when you’re surrounded by a community of people with the same passion for music.”

Peterson’s prior experience as an All-State choir participant gave her a fresh perspective on her experiences this year, and she noted that she was more open to trying new methods and techniques suggested by her director. She also pointed out that she experienced a different sort of connection with the musical selections this year.

“All of the guest conductors emphasized the backstory of the pieces we were performing, and that really made a big emotional impact on how we performed,” Peterson remarks. “Several members of the choir had personal connections to the pieces we performed, and I feel like that really helped us all understand the meaning of the music more.”

Despite her preparedness and prior experience, one thing Peterson and the other All-State Choir students couldn’t expect was what would be coming in the winter. Following the drastic increase in ICE immigration enforcement in Minneapolis in January 2026, concerns were raised by the MMEA committee over the safety of holding their annual Midwinter Convention, and the event was officially canceled following an announcement on Feb. 3. However, thanks to the efforts of some of the local schools, the various All-State musical groups were still able to perform via a virtual concert, which was recorded and livestreamed for the public.

“Our concert took place amidst the violence taking place in Minneapolis, which is where the MMEA Midwinter Clinic is traditionally hosted,” Peterson recalls. “Usually the concerts are held in Orchestra Hall, but this year they chose to move the concert location to St. Michael – Albertville High School, where it would be safer for us students. The last piece in our program, I Dream A World, felt particularly impactful – it’s a song of hope and resilience based off of the poetry of Langston Hughes, and it just felt so powerful to be singing along with so many friends and peers from across the state.”

Despite the unexpected complications that came with her return to All-State Choir, Peterson was glad to return to the program, and plans to continue her musical career along the next step of her academic journey.

“All-State Choir has shown me that I definitely want to continue to do choir in college,” Peterson shares. “I’ve developed a lot of appreciation for being in music, and it’s something I’d like to keep doing in the future.”

Peterson’s choir director, Paul Johnson, also had a few words to say about the importance of participating in ensembles like All-State Choir.

“I have to pay to be a member of MMEA so that students can audition, but it’s entirely worth it to give my students the opportunity to participate in things like All-State Choir,” Johnson explains. “Even if they don’t make it in, the entire audition process teaches a lot of the skills that are important for young musicians to develop.”

Johnson also shared that there are six BEA students who have auditioned to be in next year’s MMEA All-State Choir, the results of which will be released coming up in March.

While this may be Peterson’s last year in choir at BEA, her director had nothing but praise for her accomplishments, both as a student and a musician.

“Ava’s lower range as an Alto 2 is a gift,” Johnson says. “She has been an exceptionally talented performer throughout her time at BEA, and her reliable leadership as the section leader for the altos has been a benefit to the entire choir.”