“As if I were made of stone!” One of the most notorious lines can be continuously heard and is sung by one of the most well-known people of Annandale in both chorus and theater, junior Kyle Dalsimer.

On Saturday, February 3rd, Dalsimer along with hundreds of other singers were able to partake in a competitive singing competition, the Virginia National Association of Teachers, held at James Madison University.

In order to be entered in the prestigious competition, a singer would need to be recommended by their voice teacher, based on the potential that they see in their student and quite possibly their improvements as well.

Dalsimer has been singing ever since he was young but hasn’t been able to display his singing potential since he was mainly dedicated to sports in his freshman year. Through the motivation he received from his family and friends, he began becoming more serious in singing. All of this lead him to soon become the lead actor in the spring musical, “The Hunchback of Notre Dame,” as Quasimodo, the hunchback, and winning first for the musical theater category.

“As a singer, improvement is always the key, now more than ever,” Dalsimer said. The well rounded Dalsimer has his fair share of extracurricular activities and time that he dedicates to improving his academic, athletic and acting life.

“Because I have a sports background, I prepare for things like this as if they were a sporting event. I train nonstop leading up to it, doing as many repetitions (singing my songs over and over) as I can,” Dalsimer said. He has been practicing and improving his singing for this competition ever since last year, where he placed in the top 10 for the last competition, but got eliminated in the Nationals Semi Finals level. This year, he is fortunate enough to continue on to the next level to the competition, which will even be more challenging than the prior one due to the number of talented singers that stand amongst him.

“I’d say that I’ve learned that hard work pays off,” Dalsimer said. He has spent hours of end dedicating himself to improving his voice and finding new ways that would differentiate himself from the rest of the competition, and will continue to do so in order to make his family, but more importantly himself, proud.

Hear Dalsimer’s amazing voice as Quasimodo this spring on April 19-21st in “The Hunchback of Notre Dame.”