Iowa State held The Honor Choir Showcase on Sunday night, presenting two of their choirs, Cantamus and the Iowa Statesmen.

The ISU Choir Showcase is an event created primarily for high school students who are interested in joining the more elite choirs that Iowa State has to offer.

“Honor choir is essentially a showcase for prospective Iowa State students that allows them to hear the choir and allows us to get high school students interested,” said Vance Lehman, member of the Iowa Statesmen.

Sunday night’s concert consisted of one of Iowa States’ women’s honor choirs, Cantamus, and the Iowa Statesmen, a men’s honor choir. Prior to the 7:45 p.m. show time, a women’s a capella group, Count Me In, and the men’s group, Shy of a Dozen, helped the audience pass some time by giving short performances. Shy of a Dozen got quite a few smiles while performing a millennial favorite, “Year 3000” by the Jonas Brothers.

Every single piece Count Me In performed was incredibly moving. In their second piece, “Da Pacem,” soloist Caryssa Philgreen serenaded the audience beautifully. Backed by the choir, she belted the lyrics, some of which translated to, “Give peace to every heart. Give peace.”

“My favorite song was “Da Pacem” because they talked about peace so much. It is an important message, especially with everything going on, and especially in the Iowa State climate,” said Madelyne Losby, an Iowa State graduate student.

The group continued to impress and express their unique style while performing “Angel za bolne (The Angel for the Sick)” with their own beatboxer, Poni Lejukole. To make the song even more entertaining, the entirety of the choir burst into laughter at measure 80, which put a smile on every audience member’s face.

Their entire performance created goosebumps and led to a standing ovation by audience members.

The clapping continued as the Iowa Statesmen took the stage. The group started their section of the concert with “Waka Baraka,” with Vance Lehman on the African drum, providing a special ambiance.

The group continued to “Dedication,” in which soloists Christian Loaiza and Peter Bekkerus stole the audience’s hearts for a few moments. Their unique vibe continued when Lehman returned to center stage to perform a poem that was intertwined with their performance of the song “The Quest Unending.”

The Iowa Statesmen got a little funky with the song “Cindy,” which provided some fun choreography and energetic harmonies. They concluded with the traditional “ISU School Songs,” which ended with the current Iowa State fight song, and the entire audience clapping along.

By the time 8:45 rolled around, not one person left Martha-Ellen Tye Recital Hall without a smile on their face.