Mendota High School will send 28 vocal and instrumental students to participate in the District II Illinois Music Educators Association (ILMEA) Festival on Nov. 10 at Augustana College in Rock Island. Four students from Northbrook Middle School also will attend.
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Mendota High School band, choir and orchestra students selected to participate at the senior level in the Illinois Music Educators Association (ILMEA) Festivals, front row, left to right, are Piper Artman, Mia Artman, Ashton Dewey, Jose Bustos; middle row, Leilani Landeros, Madison Pappas, Amaya Olivas, Olivia Eddy, Jenna Stanford, Bonnie Hall, Katherine Wohrley; back row, Brooke Lee, Cole Pursell, Fabian Gomez, Matthew Grenter, Noah DeLong, Katie Beetz, and Rachel Brandner. Not pictured are Becca Hadley, Lily Linden, Brooklyn Sparks, Jacob Stohr, and Dekin Walter. (Reporter photos by Jennifer Sommer)
MENDOTA – Mendota High School will send 28 vocal and instrumental students to participate in the District II Illinois Music Educators Association (ILMEA) Festival on Nov. 10 at Augustana College in Rock Island. Four students from Northbrook Middle School also will attend.
The auditions were held at Geneseo High and Middle Schools in Geneseo on Oct. 6.
Mendota High School and Northbrook Middle School’s most talented music students were invited to audition, based upon musical ability, work ethic and ability to follow through. Many of the students received an invitation for both band and choir, so they had to choose, noted Lori Schrock, MHS choir director.
The audition for both the choral and instrumental audition is difficult and the selection process is rigorous. Some students choose not to audition because they do not have the time necessary to devote to a successful audition.
Illinois is divided into nine districts. Students are scored on a performance rubric against all other schools in the district, regardless of school size. District II runs from Ottawa to the Mississippi River and from Mendota to Peoria.
Mendota students selected for this honor include:
Junior Band (grades 7-9) – Eli Arjes (8), euphonium; Natalie Bodmer (9), clarinet; Lizzie Bresley (9), clarinet; Billy Hall (8), French horn; Abby Kunz (8), trumpet; Carlos Olivas (8), clarinet; Kayla Shumack (9), flute;
Junior Chorus (grades 7-9) – Faith Anderson (9), Jr. Mixed Chorus; Maya Martin (9), Jr. Mixed Chorus; Olivia Ross (9), Jr. Mixed Chorus;
Senior Band (grades 9-12) – Piper Artman (10) flute; Jose Bustos (11) trombone; Ashton Dewey (10) clarinet;
Senior Chorus (grades 10-12) – Katie Beetz (12), soprano 1; Rachel Brandner (11), soprano 1; Noah DeLong (11), bass 2; Olivia Eddy (10), alto 1; Fabian Gomez (12) bass 2; Matthew Grenter (10), bass 1; Becca Hadley (12), soprano 2; Bonnie Hall (10), soprano 1; Leilani Landeros (10), alto 1; Brooke Lee (12), soprano 2; Lily Linden (10), alto 1; Amaya Olivas (10), soprano 2; Madison Pappas (10), alto 1; Cole Pursell (11), bass 1; Brooklyn Sparks (11) soprano 2,; Jenna Stanford (12), alto 2; Jacob Stohr (12), bass 1; Dekin Walter (12), tenor 2; and Katherine Wohrley (12), alto 1.
Selected for the ILMEA Orchestra Festival to be held at DeKalb High School on Nov. 17 is:
Senior Orchestra (grades 10-12) –Mia Artman (12), flute.
Selected for the ILMEA Jazz Festival to be held at Streator Township High School on Nov. 3 are: Senior Jazz Band (grades 9-12) – Jose Bustos (11), trombone; and Cole Pursell (11), alto sax.
“We are very proud that a school of 562 students is so well represented. Go MHS,” said Schrock.
Students will benefit from being a part of the festival by getting to work with collegiate conductors who are well known in the field. Additionally, students got to hear how other student musicians are developing. Students also will perform more demanding, higher-level music.
What directors hope is that these students bring that same intensity back to the school ensemble.
At the Junior/Senior Band and Choir Festival, Jazz Festival, and Orchestra Festival, Schrock, Dortwegt, and NMS band instructor James Younger will observe the rehearsals and attend professional development sessions. The festivals will culminate with evening concerts.
Through the years, thousands of students have taken part in the ILMEA District Festivals. The selected students perform in an ensemble with fellow musicians from around the state in an experience like none other.
“We will anxiously wait until December for any all-state bids that our students have earned from this same audition process,” noted Schrock.
Mendota High School band and chorus students selected to participate at the ILMEA Festival at the junior level, left to right, are Maya Martin, Lizzie Bresley, Kayla Shumack, Natalie Bodmer, Olivia Ross, and Faith Anderson.
Representing Northbrook Middle School in the junior level at the ILMEA Festival, left to right, are Abby Kunz, Billy Hall, Carlos Olivas, and Eli Arjes.
