Alicia Kottman will be spending her spring break in a tropical location like thousands of high school students do every year. She’ll snorkel, ride horseback, and go to a luau while in Hawaii.
But the Brandon High School freshman will also do something that no other Brandon High School student is doing and few other people are chosen to do? she will sing at the Pearl Harbor Memorial.
Kottman is a member of Oakland Singers Encore, a choral group which has been selected to sing two songs at the memorial? ‘God Bless America? and ‘In Remembrance.?
‘I am so excited about Hawaii,? said Kottman, who has been busy clothes shopping for the trip. ‘I have a countdown in my agenda.?
She leaves for Hawaii March 28 with 30 members of the 45-member group, who have five singing performances planned. They will also visit a site where a scene for the movie ‘Jurassic Park? was shot.
Kottman has been with Oakland Singers for five years. She was recommended to the group by her former choir teacher at H.T. Burt Elementary and auditioned. Oakland Singers now has three choral groups? Primo, for grades three through five; Prelude, for grades six through eight; and Encore, for grades eight through 12.
The singers are from public and private schools in and around Oakland County and must be recommended in order to try out. Kottman, who has performed in two BHS musicals, ‘Fiddler on the Roof? and ‘Les Miserabl’s,? and is a member of the BHS band, chose not to be in the choir due to being able to take only a limited number of electives. Instead, she has singing practice at a church in Waterford for two hours every Sunday from the end of September until April.
‘Music is a big part of my life,? said Kottman, who is interested in a possible career as a music or Spanish teacher. ‘You get two hours of singing and being with your friends (in Oakland Singers). It’s great because you get to do what you love.?
The Oakland Singers have at least ten concerts at various venues throughout their season, performing a variety of music including folk, gospel, and blues and ending the year with a tour. They have sang in Ohio, in Gatlinburg Tennessee and in Detroit for the Thanksgiving Day Parade. On last year’s tour to Chicago, the Oakland Singers Encore placed third in a competition with 50 choirs.
Now, Kottman will sing a duet in Hawaii.
‘It will be emotional and a rush to sing at the Pearl Harbor Memorial,? she said. ‘We’ll sing at the ship USS Arizona and they’ll give us the flag they are flying there right now as a thank you.?
For more information on the Oakland Singers, visit their website: www.oaklandsingers.org.