Students strike a chord at the 2025 District Music Festival
Freshman members of the Glacier Varsity Band perform at the District Music Festival held at Glacier High School on Friday, April 11. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Casey Kreider
Freshman members of the Glacier Varsity Band perform at the District Music Festival held at Glacier High School on Friday, April 11. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Casey Kreider
Freshman and sophomore members of the Flathead Concert Band perform at the District Music Festival held at Glacier High School on Friday, April 11. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Casey Kreider
Freshman and sophomore members of the Flathead Concert Band perform at the District Music Festival held at Glacier High School on Friday, April 11. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Casey Kreider
Freshman members of the Glacier Varsity Band perform at the District Music Festival held at Glacier High School on Friday, April 11. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Casey Kreider
Freshman and sophomore members of the Flathead Concert Band perform at the District Music Festival held at Glacier High School on Friday, April 11. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Casey Kreider
Freshman members of the Glacier Varsity Band perform at the District Music Festival held at Glacier High School on Friday, April 11. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Casey Kreider
Freshman and sophomore members of the Flathead Concert Band perform at the District Music Festival held at Glacier High School on Friday, April 11. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Casey Kreider
Freshman members of the Glacier Varsity Band perform at the District Music Festival held at Glacier High School on Friday, April 11. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Casey Kreider
Freshman members of the Glacier Varsity Band perform at the District Music Festival held at Glacier High School on Friday, April 11. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Casey Kreider
Northwest Montana’s students showcased their musical talent at the two-day District Music Festival hosted by Flathead and Glacier high schools.
Bands, orchestras and choirs from high schools in Flathead, Lincoln and Lake counties participated in the festival held April 11 and 12th.
Entries were judged as either superior, excellent, good, fair, or poor on a 1 to 5 scale.
Whitefish High School
— Band
Superior performance and sight reading: Wind Ensemble, Concert Band.
Superior solos: Carter Bechtle, alto Saxophone; Ginger Bergland, euphonium; Bjorn Bungener, trombone; Leo Bungener, French horn; Sofia Christ, piano; Sophie Douglas, flute; Cohen Gates, clarinet; Ella Idleman, clarinet; Alexander Keim, bass clarinet; Simona Knutson, clarinet; Aliyah Malloy, clarinet; Sophie McCreedy, trumpet; Kira Raines, French horn; Tavian Ratchye, trombone; Paige Sebby, trumpet; Grace Sliman, flute;
Excellent solos: Addi DeVall, flute; Samantha Keim, flute; Lili Poole, flute; Blake Rendahl, tuba; Kayla Richardson, flute; Peter Schram, trombone; Tristan Shoff, piano; Orla Sullivan, tuba.
Superior ensembles: Jazz ensemble (Carter Bechtle, Ginger Bergland, Bjorn Bungener, Leo Bungener, Sofia Christ, Connor Cornutt, Will Cubbage, Cohen Gates, Luca Gignoux, Ella Idleman, Vaughan Irwin, Simona Knutson, Koru Larimore, Sophie McCreedy, Georgia Morrell, Lillian Nelson, Kiley Ohs, Kira Raines, Isaac Rudolph, Paige Sebby, Tristan Shoff, Grace Sliman, Mosby Stiffler, Kate Sullivan, Orla Sullivan, Guinevere Tomblin and Emaline Whithed); clarinet quintet (Brannan Beers, Ella Idleman, Vaughan Irwin, Allison Ponti and Holly Walker); Birdland Jazz Combo (Carter Bechtle, Bjorn Bungener, Connor Cornutt, Will Cubbage, Vaughan Irwin, Tristan Shoff and Emaline Whithed); brass quintet (Bjorn Bungener, Sophie McCreedy, Kira Raines, Paige Sebby and Orla Sullivan); percussion ensemble (Sofia Christ, Connor Cornutt, Logan Covey, Maren Cromie, Will Cubbage, Andrew Gibbs, Clare Helmstetler, Archer Jamison, Ben Nelson, Kiley Ohs, Kaleb Rosenstein, Tristan Shoff, Vivian Trieweiler Schmidt, Emaline Whithed and Sylvi Yunck); percussion duet (Logan Covey and Andrew Gibbs); flute trio (Sophie Douglas, Lili Poole, and Kayla Richardson); brass trio (Sophie McCreedy, Kira Rainesand Paige Sebby).
Excellent ensembles: Low brass trio (Ginger Bergland, Kate Sullivan and Orla Sullivan); saxophone trio (Duncan DeGroot, Isaac Rudolph and Grace Sliman).
— Orchestra
Superior performance and sight-reading: Camerata
Excellent performance and superior sight-reading: Sinfonia
Superior solos: Freya Hoge, violin; Cassidy Krack, viola; Koru Larimore, cello; Jackson Schindler, violin; Madeline Spear, cello; Harley Williams, cello.
Excellent solos: Olga Abramchuk, cello; Susie Bergland, viola; Olivia Cosby, violin; Lauren Gibbs, violin; Aymeric Gustin, cello; Jessup Hutcheson, violin; Isabella Riotto, cello; Arianna Smith, violin.
Superior ensembles: Junior ensemble, sophomore ensemble, The String Fling string quartet, Jackson’s Junkyard Jugband, violin duet (Solvei Gunderson and Logan Hyland), cello duet (Lillian Nelson and Johanna Perkins).
Excellent ensembles: Sophomore trio, freshman ensemble, cello octet, violin duet (Freya Hoge and Vivian Trieweiler-Schmidt).
Excellent piano: Lauren Gibbs.
— Choir
Superior performance and sight-reading: Concert Choir.
Superior solos: Sylvia Blair, Scarlet Burke, Nora Ide, Lavena James, Eliot Jennings, Samuel Nissen, Iona Sarraille and Madeline Spear.
Excellent solos: Sophie McDermott and Lyla Rudolph.
Superior ensembles: Bulldog Men's Chorus (Connor Cornutt, Joseph Coulter, Carson Gulick, Otto Horning, Sam Nissen, Winter Pfannenstiel, Tristan Shoff, Grayson Wood); Whitefish Lasses (Lizzy Holien, Kiley Ohs, Lyla Rudolph and Jackie Solem); Whitefish Treble Choir (Scarlet Burke, Lizzy Holien, Nora Ide, Cassidy Krack, Sophie McDermott, Kiley Ohs, Lyla Rudolph, Iona Sarraille, Jackie Solem, Madeline Spear, Echo Thomas, Grayson Wood and Dessi Young).
Excellent ensembles: Duet (Echo Thomas and Dessi Young)
Results compiled by reporter Hilary Matheson, who may be reached at 758-4431 or hmatheson@dailyinterlake.com.
Freshman members of the Glacier Varsity Band perform at the District Music Festival held at Glacier High School on Friday, April 11. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake) 
Freshman and sophomore members of the Flathead Concert Band perform at the District Music Festival held at Glacier High School on Friday, April 11. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake) 
Freshman and sophomore members of the Flathead Concert Band perform at the District Music Festival held at Glacier High School on Friday, April 11. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Freshman members of the Glacier Varsity Band perform at the District Music Festival held at Glacier High School on Friday, April 11. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake) 
Freshman and sophomore members of the Flathead Concert Band perform at the District Music Festival held at Glacier High School on Friday, April 11. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake) 
Freshman members of the Glacier Varsity Band perform at the District Music Festival held at Glacier High School on Friday, April 11. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake) 
Freshman and sophomore members of the Flathead Concert Band perform at the District Music Festival held at Glacier High School on Friday, April 11. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake) 
Freshman members of the Glacier Varsity Band perform at the District Music Festival held at Glacier High School on Friday, April 11. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Freshman members of the Glacier Varsity Band perform at the District Music Festival held at Glacier High School on Friday, April 11. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)