Superior performances

The numbers from the recent District 1 Music Festival in Whitefish are staggering.

More than 2,000 people spent three days at Whitefish Middle School last week, festival chairman and Whitefish band director Mark McCrady said.

That included guests, parents, directors, accompanists and festival participants.

More than 150 volunteers helped with everything from greeting people at the doors to erasing scuff marks off the stage in the performance hall.

And 16 professional adjudicators from three states judged some 1,200 students from nine high schools. Sixteen concert bands, 21 choirs, four orchestras and seven jazz bands performed, McCrady said.

“And in addition to that, we had hundreds of soloists and small ensembles,” he said. “It was a big undertaking.”

This is the first time in several years that Whitefish has hosted the district festival, McCrady said.

With so many students in one place for so long, hosting is a huge responsibility. In addition to needing a facility large enough to hold everyone, the festival chair has to make sure attendees have a place to sleep and eat.

McCrady talked with the Whitefish Chamber of Commerce to handle the food issue.

“We were able to ... set them loose on the downtown area for hot meals rather than provide meals for hundreds and hundreds of kids,” he said.

The city also temporarily lifted some parking restrictions to make it easier for people to park near the middle school, McCrady said. The arrangements with the city helped the festival attendees and, he hoped, boosted the local economy.

“Hopefully it was a win-win there,” he said.

Musicians from Eureka, Bigfork, Columbia Falls, Troy, Polson, Whitefish, Glacier, Flathead and Libby high schools performed at the District Music Festival.

They played and performed for adjudicators from as far away as Spokane, Billings and Moscow, Idaho.

“They would listen and give them a few words of advice on how to improve, and give them a rating,” McCrady said. “Students who get a Superior rating get to go on to the state level.”

The state competition is Friday and Saturday at Helena High School.

“It’s a high honor to go,” McCrady said.

More than 300 students from Northwest Montana earned Superior ratings at the district festival. Whitefish is sending 37 musicians; Bigfork nine; Columbia Falls 82; and Lincoln County (Eureka) 24.

Polson musicians earned 31 Superior ratings, some in more than one event.

Flathead musicians chalked up 77 Superior ratings.

Some students earned the top grade in more than one event.

Glacier musicians earned 80 superior ratings. Like Flathead, some of those are students who rated at the highest level in more than one event.

Reporter Kristi Albertson may be reached at 758-4438 or by e-mail at kalbertson@dailyinterlake.com.