SOLON — Two Solon Middle School students have been recognized for their musical talent.

Emma Olsem was chosen to perform in the 2024 Opus Honor Choir, which was held Thursday, Nov. 21 in the C.Y. Stephens Auditorium on the Iowa State University campus in Ames. The event, sponsored by the Iowa Choral Directors Association, is for students in 5th-9th grades with four choirs of 180 voices selected for a total of 720 out of over 2,400 students statewide who were nominated by their vocal music directors.

Olsem, who said she started out singing in the bathtub when she was younger and joined the choir this year, was the only Solon student selected this year.

“I got to sing with lots of other really good singers from across the state,” she said. “I got an email after a long tryout process with lots of my friends, and they were really good, and I was really sad when they didn’t make it in and I made it in.” Olsem added, “My mom said she was in it when she was little so she said, ‘Emma, you should try out,’ and I said yes.”

When asked what she likes to sing, she said, “I like fun jazzy stuff and not sad stuff.”

Hudson Thirtyacre was accepted into the 2024 All-Iowa Middle School Jazz Band, which performed Saturday, Nov. 16 at Coe College in Cedar Rapids. The band consisted of 20 students from across the state with Thirtyacre selected as the singular vibraphonist. A vibraphone is similar in appearance to a xylophone but the tuned metal bars, which are struck with mallets, are suspended over a resonator tube containing a flat metal disc, which is connected to an axle that is spun by a motor to create a tremolo (“trembling”) or vibrato (a pulsating change of pitch) effect.

The eighth grader has performed with the Solon High School pep band and is looking forward to playing in the jazz band.