Students win top music honors

Eleven outstanding area student musicians have been selected to perform with in one of the 2015 National Association for Music Education All-Northwest performing groups.

Local honorees are Flathead High School orchestra students Thomas Diegel, Meredith Iams and Andrew Schultz; Glacier High School band students Nick Barr, Colin Cordell, Andy Ivanoff and orchestra student Anna Cecil; Polson High School band student Austin Martinez and Whitefish High School band students Sarah Bonnington, Faith Geer and Savannah Krause.

The students will join 1,000 other musicians from six states who will perform with All-Northwest high school bands, orchestras and choirs Feb. 12-15 in Spokane. They will rehearse and perform in concert under the direction of renowned conductors.

“All-Northwest Music Festival allows participants the opportunity to work with some of the best conductors in the country and the student musicians play with the best musicians in the Northwest United States,” Polson High School band teacher Richard Sawyer said.

All-Northwest musicians were selected from more than 5,200 students who auditioned to participate in this event, which is managed by the Washington Music Educators Association.

“All-Northwest musicians demonstrate a high level of intrinsic motivation and have great self discipline, making time to practice their craft and get to high levels of musicianship,” Sawyer said.

Students of this caliber are self-starters and leaders, according to Glacier High School band teacher David Barr.

“The GHS students who made it this year are all leaders in the band. Andy runs a brass ensemble that has received superior ratings the past three years and was our drum major for the marching band. Colin runs a jazz combo with himself playing steel drum. He also performs regularly with the Glacier Symphony and Chorale. Nick arranges and writes music for several groups in the band. Two of the marching band arrangements were arranged by Nick this year. All three set an example of how to be a great high school musician,” Barr said.

Sawyer, Barr and Whitefish High School band teacher Mark McCrady agreed that the All-Northwest experience gives students a boost of confidence.

“This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for the students to represent their state, along with top musicians from Alaska, Wyoming, Idaho, Oregon and Washington,” McCrady said. “I believe these students will become stronger, more confident leaders in our school program. They will likely have higher standards for themselves and their peers, which will ultimately serve to raise the bar for our entire band.”

Well-known Northwesterners who have participated in past years’ All-Northwest groups include trumpeters Doc Severinson and Allen Vizzutti and jazz saxophonist Kenny G.

Reporter Hilary Matheson may be reached at 758-4431 or by email at hmatheson@dailyinterlake.com.