Orcas Musicians Perform at SJMEA Senior Honor Festival

— from Kristen Wilson —

Western Washington University’s 650-seat Performing Arts Center was packed for a performance by students from this year’s San Juan Music Educators Association Senior Honor Festival on November 11. Thirteen musicians from Orcas High School’s Strings and Band Classes attended this year’s Festival. WWU hosted some of the top musicians from northwest area high schools (269 students from 21 schools) at an all-day rehearsal, concluding with a concert by orchestra, band and choir.

Representing Orcas Island in the Senior Honor Orchestra were eight musicians from the High School Strings class: violinists Michael Harlow, Joanne Mietzner, Emily Toombs and Paris Wilson; violist Zach Waage; and cellists Anthony Kaskurs, Wylie Kau and Enzo Thixton.

The 71-member Honor Orchestra was directed by Dr. Ryan Dudenbostel, Director of Orchestral Studies at WWU. Orcas Strings Director Pamela Wright, who also served as the Honor Orchestra Chairman, said that several teachers commented that this performance by the Honor Orchestra was the best in the past ten years. The orchestra performed Two Elegiac Melodies by Edvard Grieg and the devilishly difficult Finale from Antonin Dvorak’s Serenade For Strings.

Representing Orcas Island in the Senior Honor Band were flutist Claire Bishop-Martin, clarinetist Leonie Walle, bass clarinetist Holden Griskey-Watson, trombonist Kahana Pietsch and percussionist Jo Gudgell from Darren Dix’s High School Band class. They performed with the 81-member Senior Honor Band, conducted by Christopher Bianco. Dr. Bianco is Director of Bands at WWU. The Honor Band performed Sousa’s Star Spangled Banner, Joy Revisited by Ticheli, Jan Van der Roost’s Suite Provencale and Armed Forces – The Pride of America, arranged by Clark and Gilpin.