Petersburg girls sing in Nashville for Honors Choir

Petersburg High School Choir students Frances Abbott and Stephanie Pfundt attended the National Association of Music Educator's All National Honors Choir in Nashville, Tenn.

The girls auditioned for the honors choir last spring and were notified of their acceptance in July. Pfundt received the good news in an email from her music teacher Matthew Lenhard.

"I was fishing on my dad's boat," Pfundt said. "It was nine o'clock at night and I was up in the wheelhouse and I started screaming. All the guys on our boat were like 'what's wrong?'"

Abbott and Pfundt joined more than 350 other singers from across the country in Nashville for three days during the last weekend of October where they rehearsed, performed, visited the Grand Ole Opry and watched Tarzan: The Musical among other events.

"It was a humbling and inspiring experience," Abbott said. "You're part of something bigger than you and you realize you're small," Abbott said.

"Like a little fish in a big pond," Pfundt replied.

"But it's amazing to be part of that," Abbott said. "You're a little, but important piece."

The girls rehearsed for ten hours a day with the mixed choir before putting on a performance.

"I really love doing honor choirs because you're surrounded by people that share a similar passion for music," Abbott said. "In an honor choir people love music and want to spend ten hours a day singing."

Some of Pfundt's most memorable moments during weekend was working with and learning from Rollo Dilworth, the choir director and music professor at Temple University, and other Nashville musicians.

"We had a live brass ensemble and that was one of the highlights of going to Nashville-the musicians that accompanied us," Pfundt said.

Dilworth arranged the spiritual gospel 'Take Me to The Water' for the choir to sing.

Both Abbott and Pfundt have previously performed in district honors choirs as well.