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Four Harlan Independent students recently visited Louisville to participate in the 2020 KMEA SATB Chorus, three of which are eighth graders.

Harlan Middle School eighth graders Faith Hoskins (Harlan Middle School Choir), Ethan Farley and Kevin Thomas Lee (Harlan Boys Choir) were chosen to represent District 10 in the 2020 Junior High All-State Chorus. A total of 114 schools were represented in the 2020 Kentucky Junior High Mixed and Treble, with 196 students in the mixed chorus.

Hoskins is the daughter of Joey and Cindy Hoskins; Lee is the son of Jeremy and Denise Lee; and Farley is the son of Robert Farley and Jennifer Saylor.

Philip Keirstead, one of two choral directors at Marsteller Middle School in Prince William, Virginia, was chosen to conduct the chorus. Keirstead was a guest conductor throughout several districts and county choir events in and around Virginia, conducting his first all-state choir in New Orleans during 2018.

He was also named Middle School Teacher of the Year for the 2011-12 school year in Prince William, Virginia, and was runner-up for the Washington Post Agnes Meyer Outstanding Teacher Award.

Shane Lindsey, a junior at Harlan High School and a member of the Harlan Boys Choir, was also hand-picked to represent District 10 at the 2020 SATB All-State Chorus.

Lindsey is the son of Michael and Anne Lindsey and the grandson of Clara and Tom Pope.

A total of 106 schools were represented in the 2020 TTBB, SSAA and SATB All-State Choirs, with 194 students in the SATB Chorus that performed at the Kentucky Center.

Dr. Julie Oppenheim served as the conductor for the SATB Chorus. Oppenheim is co-director of Choral Studies at Kansas State University where she is part of a team overseeing seven choral ensembles, teaching undergraduate and graduate choral conducting.

Her choirs have performed at conferences of the Kansas Music Educators Association, Missouri Music Educators Association, Oklahoma Choral Directors Association, American Choral Directors Association and the European Music Educators Association. She is also the Southwest American Choral Directors Association President and a 2018 ACDA-ICEP Conducting Fellow to Kenya.

The Harlan Middle School Choir and Harlan Boys Choir are under the direction of Marilyn Schraeder. Clara Atkins-Pope serves as the assistant director and accompanist.