Give them the chance and they rise to it.

Carrie Jones

Apr 02, 2026

The Bar Harbor Story is generously sponsored by Edward Jones Financial Advisor: Elise N. Frank.

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MOUNT DESERT ISLAND REGION—This past weekend, some top performers brought some big prizes back to their schools.

The Mount Desert Island High School Show Choir brought back state-championship gold from the Maine State Music Festival finals held at Stearns High School in Millinocket for its performance of Illuminare by Elaine Hagenburg.

The high school’s show choir wasn’t the only one that brought back a championship to Mount Desert Island.

Tremont, Pemetic, and Mount Desert Middle Schools choirs combined into one to receive a gold medal (one of just two awarded) for its performance of The Lion King.

Bar Harbor’s Conners Emerson choir came back with silver for its production of Barbie.

To bring home the gold or a silver in a state championship took a lot of talent, but these students had more than that. They had fortitude, learning steps and notes, dances and melodies in rehearsal after rehearsal. They persisted when they might have had an early misstep. They lifted themselves up, working as a team.

All that effort, all that persistence combined with talent? That’s part of what brought home the prize, but it’s not the only thing.

“I am continually amazed by our students’ capacity for creativity. If we can imagine it, they can bring it to life—all they need is the opportunity. People often ask how I get students to achieve what they do, and the answer is simple: I give them the chance, and they rise to it,” said Brownyn Kortge, the MDI High School Show Choir’s director. of the high school’s show choir.

Rising to it leads the high school students to gold year after year and that state festival is also part of the community, collaboration, and purpose of show choirs.

“The State Festival is a wonderful experience, showcasing show choirs of all ages and a wide range of styles,” Kortge said. “What makes our group unique is our commitment to storytelling. Rather than centering a show on a specific artist or style, we lean into the dramatic possibilities of show choir, creating performances that explore the full arc of human experience. As one judge wrote this year, ‘Thank you for telling a story that carries us through the journey of life—beautiful highs, tremendous lows.’”

Show choir is about more than singing. It’s about drama, emotion, combining elements of music, theater and drama to give something to the audience, but also combining those elements creatively to make performances that move those watching and listening as well as each other.

“Each year, students collaborate on every aspect of the production: selecting music, shaping the narrative, designing choreography, and contributing to costumes, sets, and technical elements. Their investment creates a deep sense of ownership—this is truly their show. There are solos, but no single star; we succeed as an ensemble, both onstage and behind the scenes,” Kortge said.

They rise to it. They rise to the performance. They rise to the collaboration. They rise to the investment. They rise for each other.

“Show choir is a uniquely powerful art form because it combines music, movement, and storytelling to express complex emotions. It gives students a safe and meaningful outlet to explore what one parent once called ‘big emotions’—joy, sorrow, rage, pride, love, and more,” she continued.

The high school’s exemplary show choir continuously creates a tradition that the students from the elementary schools can look up to, emulate, and that many can’t wait to be a part of.

Being in a show choir illustrates that someone is hard working and that they strive to do their best in a collaborative, creative, and sometimes high-pressure effort. Those are life skills and people skills and personal skills combined.

“I’m very proud of our show choir for their outstanding performance this year. I continue to be impressed by the quality of the singing, interpretive dance, and costuming,” Mount Desert Island Principal Matt Haney said. “Even more impressive is that the piece was primarily choreographed by students, which makes it even more special. Bravo MDI Show Choir!”

That performing talent, the perseverance and those creative skills aren’t isolated to the the island’s show choirs. The MDI High School Drama’s cast and crew of Queens was the Class B runner-up at the 2026 Maine State Drama Festival.

“We have endured so much over the last year as a one-act program, but these wonderful folks shook it off, took on a thoughtful, challenging script and grew as a company all season long. I will miss our seniors who have guided their underclass cast and crew-mates with such maturity and care, and I look forward to their younger counterparts stepping into their roles in the coming seasons,” Director Casey Rush said on a recent social media post.

“As for the legacy of the arts on MDI, there is a long-standing tradition of excellence and community support,” Kortge said. “For decades, students here have performed at a high level and continued on as lifelong musicians. For more than 15 of the past 27 years, we sent more vocal and instrumental students to All-State festivals than all but the largest of Southern and Central Maine schools. We are one of a handful of schools in the state that has all three performance tracks: band, chorus, and orchestra. And we are certainly the smallest school in the state that still has an orchestra program. At a time when many districts are reducing arts programs, our community continues to value and support music education, which makes a profound difference.”

The students are exceptional and mentored by artists such as Kortge, Ashley Graves, and Sonia Berghoff. The women lead the show choirs throughout the schools, including a new show choir of fourth and fifth grade students.

They are also, always, looking for support. Kortge suggests an enjoyable way to do just that for all the arts the island schools host.

“If there is one way the community can further support the arts, it is simply to show up,” she said. “Attend performances, get curious about our young musicians, and celebrate their work. In doing so, you not only support their growth, but also experience something truly special.”

In the end, the medals are just the visible proof of something deeper: students that keep rising to the moment. Each rehearsal, each performance, and each new group of students stepping into the spotlight builds on the last, carrying forward a tradition of creativity and teamwork at Mount Desert Island High School and across the island’s schools. As this year’s performers have shown, when given the chance, these performers and artists don’t just meet expectations. They rise to them, again and again.

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LINK TO VIEW MORE:

The following is a video of the high school’s performance, recorded and shared by Michael Newman on his YouTube Channel, Hello, Newman.

https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/Qtrb7sqSMBw?rel=0&autoplay=0&showinfo=0&enablejsapi=0

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