N.D. Choral Director of the Year hails from New Rockford

Sara Lichtblau, the daughter of Marilyn and (the late) Clifford Gedrose, graduated from New Rockford School with a song in her heart. "I loved singing, and being in the choir made my high school career," Sara says. "My teachers always made music so fun and challenging."

Those teachers, Mr. Garth Allmaras, Mrs. Christie Aleshire and Mrs. Sandy Bekken, would be proud to know that Sara (now with the surname Lichtblau) is in her 23rd year of teaching music and has been named the North Dakota Choral Director of the Year by the North Dakota American Choral Directors Association (ND-ACDA).

After her high school graduation, Sara studied Vocal Music Education at North Dakota State University and went on to earn her Masters of Music in Choral Conducting while studying under Dr. Jo Ann Miller.

Sara began teaching K-12 vocals in Enderlin, N.D, and then worked at Dilworth Elementary for nine years. In 2009, Sara began at Fargo South in 2009. There she now serves as both the vocal music director and orchestral pit conductor for the musicals.

It all seems so natural for Sara. Her colleague Cheryl McIntyre, Director of Choirs at Jamestown High School and the Chair for the All State Choir said in a press release submitted to the Transcript, "Lichtblau's students perform at an exceptional level. She has the innate ability to draw out the best from each student and challenges them to higher levels of achievement, no matter their background or talent. She strives to only to make good musicians, but to inspire students to be good, kind, responsible and motivated in all areas of their lives."

Sara's inspiration for pursuing a career in music education draws on her roots in New Rockford. She says, "Music contests, festivals and singing in the community choirs for special events were very memorable and impressionable. I grew up at First Lutheran Church and was able to be a part of the music in worship also."

Perhaps it is no surprise that Sara is also a contemporary worship leader at Hope Lutheran Church in Fargo and leads the adult Praise Choir. She also serves on the board of the ND-American Choral Directors Association as the co-chairperson for Music in Worship and the past representative of multicultural music. She is past-president of the EDC Music Committee and serves on the Music Advisory Board for North Dakota High School Activities Association. Her choirs have performed at ND All-State, ND-ACDA conference and the NDSU Choral Festival and were selected for the ND Governor's Choir. She was the guest conductor of the ND-ACDA Middle Level Treble Honor Choir in February 2019.

When asked about the best part of her job, Sara says, "The students are wonderful! They are so talented and work so hard to achieve common goals of making beautiful music every day!!"