Musicians score top ratings

Flathead and Glacier high schools hosted roughly 1,500 student musicians at the 2015 District 1 Music Festival April 16-18.

The three-day event featured 40 bands, orchestras and choirs, plus individual and ensemble performers, from Bigfork, Columbia Falls, Eureka, Flathead, Glacier, Libby, Polson, Troy and Whitefish high schools.  

Music specialists judged each performance with verbal and written comments, rating musicians on a scale of one to five — 1 (superior), 2 (excellent), 3 (good), 4 (fair) and 5 (poor).

Solos and ensembles receiving superior ratings qualify to attend the State Solo and Ensemble Festival in Missoula on Friday and Saturday.

Results from Whitefish are as follows.

• Superior prepared performance and sight reading: Varsity Band and Orchestra.

• Excellent performance: Choir.

Band, Mark McCrady, director

• Superior solos: Sarah Bonnington, saxophone; Faith Geer, flute; Savannah Krause, flute; Hans Mazur, piano and Rmi Strauser, marimba and tenor saxophone.

• Excellent solos: Adia Saurey, piano and Julia Houston, piano.

• Superior ensembles: Birdland jazz combo, Eric Holdhusen, Austin Reese, Jordan Reese, Rmi Strauser, Josh Weller, Ethan Potthoff, Cassidy Grady and Marty Anderson; flute/saxophone duet, Sarah Bonnington and Faith Geer; saxophone duet, Mackenzie Carl, Austin Reese, Jasmine Reese and Rmi Strauser; tenor saxophone duet, Mackenzie Carl and Morgon Vick; Enterprise Jazz Combo, Jaren Brown, Hunter Grimes, Quinten Joos, Port Nugent, Matthew Perez, Jasmine Reese, Wyatt Scott and Ella Van Vlack; Jambalaya Jazz Combo, Austin Galvan, Brendan Gibson, Maybelline Green, Annika Gordon, Dakota Henson, Galen Jamison, Eli Joos and Myah Strauser and clarinet quartet Jordan Reese, Larissa Schiff, Julia Houston and Rmi Strauser.

• Excellent ensembles: Brass sextet, Dylan Cardon, Nathan Fauth, Eric Holdhusen, Hans Mazur, Mason McInnes and Adia Saurey; woodwind trio, Austin Galvan, Brendan Gibson and Hunter Grimes; flute choir, Faith Geer, Caitlin Horst, Savannah Krause, McKayla Stone and Mackenzie Vick; flute duet, Faith Geer and Savannah Krause and piano duet, Tucker Harrison and Myah Strauser.

Orchestra, Jenanne Solberg, director

• Superior solos: Annika Gordon, violin; Maybelline Green, violin and Galen Jamison, violin.

• Excellent solos: Shanna Cameron, violin and Sarah Perez, violin.

• Superior ensembles: Vivaldi Ensemble, Shanna Cameron, Emily Clark, Taylor Fortin, Kylie Larsen, Sophie Marchetti, Kyle McLeod, Nadia Nargi, Megan O’Dell, Matthew Perez, Sarah Perez and Cailyn Ross; Telemann Quartet, Annika Gordon, Maybelline Green, Eric Holdhusen and Galen Jamison;  Telemann Duet, Taylor Fortin and Matthew Perez and Mozart Quartet, Annika Gordon, Maybelline Green, Chaffin Ross and Jared Johnson.

Piano

• Superior: Hans Mazur.

• Excellent: Adia Saurey, Julia Houston and piano duet, Tucker Harrisonn and Myah Strauser.

Choir, Kevin Allen-Schmid, director

• Superior solos: Shandra Bell, Hunter Cripe and Kess Nelson.

• Excellent solos: Saige Perchy and Erika Winchell.

• Superior ensembles: Voce Ensemble, Shandra Bell, Sam Benkelman, Hunter Cripe, Kess Nelson, Saige Perchy, Johnny Perez, Austin Reese, Jordan Reese, Tommy Sausen, Malia VanDort and Erika Winchell; Heart Quartet, Shandra Bell, Sam Benkelman, Austin Reese and Malia VanDort; Jesu Joy Ensemble, Gillian Broughton, Ingvild Gunderson, Kess Nelson, Saige Perchy, Malia VanDort, Erika Winchell; Sandman Quartet, Shanna Bell, Shanna Cameron, Teigen Tremper, Malia VanDort; Railroad Quartet, Eric Holdhusen, Galen Jamison, Eli Joos and Quinten Joos; Firefly Trio, Hannah Madsen, Kess Nelson and Saige Perchy and April Quartet, Kess Nelson, Saige Perchy, Jordan Reese and Tommy Sausen.

• Excellent ensembles: Duet, Zach Ade and Abby Reese; duet, Erin Holien and Lily Stedman and Italian Trio, Gillian Broughton, Erin Holien, Aubrey Tatum.

— compiled by Hilary Matheson of the Daily Inter Lake