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Daman Mills, a sophomore at Bellwood-Antis,  is a standout vocalist both in chorus and the school’s theatrical productions, so much so that he earned a seat among the best high school singers in Pennsylvania.

It was announced last week that Daman was selected to participate in PMEA all-state chorus.

Daman has worked very hard for this opportunity. He worked with choral director Ms. Beth Hull on Friday’s after school as well as with a professor from Penn State on Tuesday afternoons with the audition pieces.

“I had worked hours daily trying to get the correct interpretation with crescendos, forte, and passaggio just trying to see what I could do to perfect it to the best of my ability. I am really pleased with how it all turned out,” Daman explained.

Auditions for all-state chorus were last week and they were online and held at Bellwood. Daman was under some rough circumstances due to the fact that he was sick the week of auditions; therefore, he had to prerecord his piece.

“Luckily I was able to get some good recordings in before the submissions were due, but I still believe that I could have done so much better,” Daman said.

Despite this minor hiccup, Daman is the fourth chair for the bass section, which is no surprise to Ms. Hull who has worked with and supported Daman.

“Not only is Daman blessed with a fine vocal instrument, but he is also a focused and determined musician. He has a passion for music in all genres and instruments, and this passion drives him in his vocal practice and determining his performance standards. He is a great person and an easy student to coach,” Ms. Hull explained.

It is not everyday that a student from Bellwood makes it into the all-state chorus. Daman is the first singer from Bellwood to make the all-state chorus since Amanda Albright in 2016.

“I am glad that I got to participate in something like this because it allows me the opportunity to go outside of competing against students in our school and in our county. I got to verse students from schools that strictly do music and students from hugely populated cities such as Pittsburgh, Gettysburg, and Philadelphia,” Daman explained.

Daman has expressed his gratitude to Ms. Hull and his voice teacher because without them, he wouldn’t be where he is at today.

“I want to thank Bonnie and Ms. Hull for helping me get to a point where my voice has never been before. They helped me get here and I wouldn’t have had any other teachers help me accomplish this,” Daman said.