Del Norte High continues to flex its musical muscles.

An astounding five individuals from Del Norte High have been selected for the California Choir Directors Association State Honor Choir, a number that dominates among North Coast schools.

Earning a trip to Sacramento in January to perform with the best singers in the state are altos Reese Blankenship and Hannah Moore, tenors Marcus Wier and Ian Stanley, and bass Obadiah Joseph.

“I’m very excited,” Del Norte High Choir Director Collin Kirkwood said. “I don’t have stats going back that far, but I have never had more than two students into all-state before.”

From the other nine high schools on the North Coast, just a single singer from Arcata qualified for the state event.

Judges wrote that an “overwhelming number of auditions (were received) this year, and the selection process was exceptionally challenging because of the high level of skill and musicality demonstrated by everyone who auditioned.”

Kirkwood said it takes more than talent to reach this level.

“Of course, all these students are talented, but they also put in the work to practice, and yes, it takes heart and dedication,” he said.

The singers initially qualified for the Coastal Regional Honor Choir. From there, via auditions, the best of the best was picked for the California choir from the Coastal, Southern and Central regions. They will perform at the California All-State Music Education Conference next month.

Del Norte’s musical program features more than 100 students in various bands, along with a choir program that produces state-level singers. Kirkwood said there are multiple reasons for the overall success.

“We work hard and we have a lot of dedicated students who participate in multiple music classes, which helps a lot,” he said. “Music at the lower grades is essential to the success of music at higher grade levels as there needs to be a foundation before they get to high school.”