Riverside Company catches NBCs attention

By: Katrina Styx

HASTINGS, MN — We know they’re good. Hastings High School’s top
show choir, Riverside Company, already has two Grand Champion wins
under its belt this season. Apparently, producers at NBC think
they’re pretty good, too. After seeing some of Riverside Company’s
performances from previous years on YouTube, they invited the choir
to audition Sunday for the sixth season of America’s Got
Talent.

The choir’s director, Lin Warren, got the call. It was an
opportunity for the kids he couldn’t pass up, he said.

The 54 singer/dancers and 13 band members are used to performing
on stage, but the audition isn’t exactly what they’re used to. With
little time to set up a full band, the group has to leave some of
its band members behind, bringing just enough musicians for a piano
and drums. They also have to perform on a flat stage, instead of
with the risers they’re accustomed to.

“There’s a lot of elements that we’re used to that aren’t going
to be there,” Warren said.

But the biggest change is in the length of time they have to
prove they have what it takes.