News
Choirs Selected to Perform at Illinois Music Educators Conference
By Performing Arts Department Co-Chair Rob Denien
We are incredibly proud to share some historic news regarding our vocal music program. For the first time in school history, Parker has been invited to perform at the annual Illinois Music Educators Conference (IMEC) in Peoria.
Each year, hundreds of music programs across Illinois submit blind audition recordings in hopes of earning a coveted performance slot.
The selection process is fiercely competitive, with an anonymous committee extending invitations to only one middle school choir and four to five high school choirs statewide. The selected groups represent the best of what the state has to offer for choral ensembles.
In a stunning testament to the talent and dedication of our students, we learned yesterday that IMEC has awarded two of those slots to Parker.
Congratulations to our Upper School Advanced Choral Ensemble and our Middle School counterpart, Amplify, for receiving and accepting these invitations. To have both a middle school and a high school ensemble selected simultaneously is a rare honor that spotlights the depth and continuity of our music program at Parker.
Our students will be featured in a premier, full-length (75-minute) concert during the conference, taking place between January 26 and 28, 2027.
We are deeply honored by this recognition and look forward to sharing more details and performance logistics in the months ahead. For now, please join us in celebrating our incredible singers for putting Parker choirs on the state map!
Francis W. Parker School educates students to think and act with empathy, courage and clarity as responsible citizens and leaders in a diverse democratic society and global community.