Portland Christian Vocal Ensemble Shines at Statewide OMEA Competition

Portland Christian’s Vocal Ensemble earned an impressive second-place finish at the 2025 Oregon Music Educators Association (OMEA) Chamber State Competition, held on May 2 at Mt. Hood Community College.

Choir Director Mr. Ostrand proudly shared that six students — Susan Asaya, Corbin Hughes, Kahli McBride, Emma Ortman, Isaac Schroder, and Naomie Wagner — represented the school in the highly competitive Large Mixed Vocal Ensemble category.

Earning a spot in this prestigious event is a remarkable achievement. The OMEA Chamber Competition is a statewide event not divided by school size or region. Portland Christian was one of just 14 ensembles selected across Oregon — and notably, one of only two private schools represented, alongside Trinity Lutheran from Bend.

Competing against much larger public schools in the 4A, 5A, and 6A divisions — including Rex Putnam, South Albany, West Salem, Sam Barlow, West Linn, Tualatin, Glencoe, and Lincoln — our ensemble stood out in more ways than one.

The category permits ensembles of 5–16 members and requires all performances to be conducted without a director. Despite having only six performers — likely the smallest group in the category — our students delivered a powerful, polished performance that stood tall against groups nearly three times their size.

We are thrilled to announce that Portland Christian placed second overall, finishing just 8 points behind first-place West Salem’s “Soundscape” ensemble.

This outstanding result is a testament to the dedication, talent, and teamwork of our students. We couldn’t be more proud of these exceptional vocalists.

Congratulations to our ensemble on this well-earned success!