Senior Trisha Thatai has progressed to All-State Chorus after performing in All-Districts and then auditioning for All-States. For Potomac Falls, the standard for All-States is two students but Thatai performed solo for this year… literally.

Since the sixth grade, senior Trisha Thatai has been enrolled in chorus class. This year, Thatai is in Advanced Mixed Chorus Honors and has Ms. Fawn Phillips as their teacher. However, music has been with them their whole life as their parents value music, too. “Music has been with me my whole life from when my mom would sing me Bollywood songs to my dad playing Led Zeppelin on road trips,” said Thatai. 

Thatai expresses that music is a huge part of their identity. “I also remember singing with my cousins and we would always make arrangements for songs that we liked, as in we would create four-part harmonies out of songs we heard on the radio,” said Thatai. 

Though singing and music may seem a second nature for Thatai, it has taken a lot of detemination to get to where they are today. “It was a lot of hard work,” said Thatai. “I’ve been singing my whole life and so it’s something that’s been with me forever. The only thing I know how to do is visualize and pick things up relatively fast,” said Thatai. Thatai stays humble with their musical talent as they believe they continue to improve after each performance and chorus class. 

Despite their talent, Thatai does occasionally struggle with performance anxiety from time-to-time. “I always get performance anxiety to the point where I’m basically just running on adrenaline,” said Thatai.

Thatai doesn’t have any particular motivators or motivations when they perform, but PFHS Alum Yasmin Gerardi and their sister Tanvi inspire them. “Their level of musicianship always made me want to try harder and I love singing with them,” said Thatai. “I’m deeply appreciative for everyone who has helped me throughout my musical endeavors.”

Thatai also owes many of their accomplishments to Ms. Fawn Phillips, performing arts teacher. “ [Ms. Phillips] made sure to check numerous times to see if I needed any help with my music and in general has been awesome,” said Thatai. Thatai added that Phillips helped with their practice to eventually get into states.

Thatai’s plans after high school are to attend Louisiana State University to major in vocal performance. Thatai hopes that they can make a career out of it, but is still unsure if it will work out.  “I believe there is always room for improvement no matter what it is you’re doing and especially if it’s something you love passionately as I do with singing,” said Thatai.