Talented student musicians from area schools earned high scores at the Western State Solo and Ensemble Music Festival held May 1 and 2 in Helena. 

Students were judged by qualified music specialists and rated as superior, excellent, good, fair and poor on a one to five scale. Judges also provided verbal and written comments to help each student musician improve. 

Following are festival results provided by local schools:

Bigfork High School

Band 

Superior solos: Audrey Corder, flute; Jennifer Whitney, French horn and Noah Hamilton-Dixon, bassoon. 

Excellent solo: Graham Munson, trombone. 

Superior ensembles: Jazz band and a percussion ensemble. 

Choir 

Superior solos: Micah Butler, Olivia Close, Amelia Gibson and Ayla Wermer. 

Excellent solo: Scotta Rudolph. 

Columbia Falls High School

Band 

Superior solos: Maielle Bales, piano; Claire Bates, clarinet; Teagan Bates, baritone saxophone; Von Blanchard, trombone; Lily Gnauck, flute; Taven LaChance, clarinet; Kajsa Mohr, piano; Zoe Roemer, flute; Malakai Shaw, flute and Tiptin Tourville, clarinet. 

Superior ensembles: Columbians; percussion ensemble; percussion trio; flute trio; clarinet duet (Claire Bates and Tiptin Tourville); tuba and euphonium duet (Von Blanchard and Will Cincis) and horn duet (Naive Schule and Talon Bates). 

Choir

Superior solo: Austin Counts and Zabdiela Medina. 

Excellent solo: Kory Moran. 

Superior ensembles: Sonifers (Austin Counts, Merrick Fairchild, Ailish Hanley, Maggie Maccherola, Evan Mele, Kory Moran, Allycyn Palmer Torri Scanlan, Verona Simonson, Brandon Widhalm and Chloe Williams); Svegliatevi Ensemble (Elizabeth Cincis, Harper Holloway, Maggie Maccherola, Kory Moran, Verona Simonson and Kamry Young) and duet (Emmet Donaldson and Ella Smith). 

Excellent ensembles: Duet (Merrick Fairchild and Meagan King-Kaaihue) and duet (Elizabeth Cincis and Katelynn Padgett). 

Flathead High School 

Choir  

Superior solos: Madison Brist, Kolter Farrell, Zoey Kilduff and Natalie Young. 

Excellent solo: Grayson Vallette. 

Excellent ensemble: Duet (Elena Nicklaus and Grayson Vallette). 

Glacier High School

Band 

Superior solos: Liam DeJana, clarinet; Nickelle Erdmann, clarinet; Abby Harris, flute; Melita Harris, French horn; Reazon McMahon, flute; Bri Miller, trumpet; Naomi Saito, oboe; Jaron Waldusky, trumpet and Ben Weddle, trombone. 

Excellent solo: Aubrey Nelson (baritone saxophone) 

Superior ensembles: Alto clarinet and bass clarinet duet (Naomi Saito and Emily Higgs); flute and oboe duet (Abby Harris and Naomi Saito); clarinet and vibes duet (Liam DeJana and Dane Bourriague); flute trio (Escher Denmark, Bridget Reed and Kyla Turley); flute trio (Abby Harris, Reazon McMahon and Naomi Saito); sax quartet (Simone Andrews, Karsen Birks, Aubrey Nelson and Burton Ward). 

Excellent ensembles: Flute and clarinet duet (Reazon McMahon and Nickelle Erdmann).

Orchestra 

Superior violin solos: Iris Gagne, Melita Harris and Samuel Micklewright. 

Choir 

Superior solos: Claire Bell, Addy Blades, Evan Cornish, Adison Elie, Olivia Hagemeier, Emily Hartle, Emily Higgs, Brent Humbert, Paige Klinker, Lilly Miller, Emma Presley, Reid Sanders, Lincoln Shumard, Luke Stein, Kyla Turley, Audrey Willis, Theron Wilton and Barrett Woywod. 

Excellent solo: Hayden Holloway. 

Superior ensembles: Duet (Megan Mikelson and Kaylin Stein); duet (Kyla Turley and Hilda Weber); duet (Lilly Miller and Audrey Willis); duet (Brent Humbert and Audrey Willis); duet (Lilly Miller and Nola Terman); trio (Lilly Miller, Nola Terman and Audrey Willis) and a quartet (Emma Presley, Reid Sanders, Kyla Turley and Hilda Weber). 

Excellent ensembles: Trio (Evan Cornish, Noah Edwards and Brent Humbert). 

Libby High School

Band 

Superior solos: Lucy DeShazer, alto saxophone; Easton Gilmore, trombone; Jack Lampton, bassoon; Bear Saiz, bassoon and Riley Stoltz, trumpet. 

Choir 

Superior solos: Rylee Hutchings, Elena Haugen and Vivian Cole. 

Lincoln County High School

Band 

Superior solo: Chloe Manges, flute. 

Polson High School

Band 

Superior solos: Miles Fegel, snare; Evan Gashler, clarinet; Ella Grainey, clarinet and Alexa Kinaman, bass clarinet. 

Excellent solo: Sabra Nickol, trumpet. 

Superior ensembles: Clarinet ensemble (Mackinzie Bartel, Aidan Davis, Harlie Fischer, Alexa Kinaman and Kaleb Tryon ); clarinet trio (Evan Gashler, Joshawa Griffin and Rayleen Wadsworth); percussion ensemble (Landon Armstrong, Azriel Balongag, Corben Carlson, Miles Fegel, Jack Huffine, Claire Martine Benson, Truman Sawyer, Amy Thoft, Jackson Yarbrough and Ryvr Wood); saxophone quartet (Jacie Haggard, Ashlin Peters, Connor Turner and Edgar Vejez-Pete). 

Whitefish High School

Band 

Superior solos: Ginger Bergland, euphonium; Lydia Buc, clarinet; Bjorn Bungener, trombone; Leo Bungener, French horn; Sophie Douglas, flute; Cohen Gates, clarinet; Kaylynn Gates, marimba; Samantha Keim, flute; Simona Knutson, clarinet; Kaya Naumovich, clarinet; Grace Sliman, alto saxophone and Orla Sullivan, tuba. 

Excellent solos: Paxton Elm, baritone saxophone; Ella Idleman, clarinet; Jesse Livingston, bass clarinet and Kayla Richardson, flute. 

Superior ensembles: Low brass octet (Ginger Bergland, Bjorn Bungener, Tavian Ratchye, Peter Schram, Kate Sullivan, Orla Sullivan, John Tollerson and Guinevere Tomblin); wind quartet (Ginger Bergland, Sophie Douglas, Cohen Gates and Ella Idleman); trumpet duet (Henry Boysen, Noah Drace); brass quintet (Bjorn Bungener, Leo Bungener, Noah Drace, Paige Sebby and Orla Sullivan); jazz combo (Bjorn Bungener, Will Cubbage, Luca Gignoux, Ella Idleman, Koru Larimore, Holly Walker and Emaline Whithed); marimba duet (Logan Covey and Andrew Gibbs); percussion trio (Maren Cromie, Kaylynn Gates and Clare Helmstetler); percussion trio (Will Cubbage, Ben Nelson and Kiley Ohs); saxophone trio (Duncan DeGroot, Isaac Rudolph and Grace Sliman); percussion trio (Sage Delaloye, Weston Hunter and Blake Perisho; clarinet quintet (Cohen Gates, Ryan Glick, Ella Idleman, Simona Knutson and Allison Ponti); woodwind duet (Lilah Kulzer and Kimberly Owen); jazz ensemble and a percussion ensemble. 

Excellent ensembles: Woodwind trio (Paxton Elm, Jesse Livingston and James Weyh); clarinet duet (Ryan Glick and Allison Ponti); woodwind duet (Audrey Idleman and Ella Idleman) and woodwind duet (Kaya Naumovich and Avery Retz).

Orchestra 

Superior solos: Susie Bergland, viola; Kalina Bruckerhoff, violin; Solvei Gunderson, violin; Freya Hoge, violin; Cassidy Krack, viola and Vivian Trieweiler-Schmidt, violin. 

Superior ensembles: Sophomore ensemble, Battle Ensemble, Swamp Thang and violin duet (Bianca and Heidi Walker). 

Choir 

Superior solos: Sylvia Blair, Gavin Sibson, Nora Ide, Madeline Spear and Maya Demarais. 

Superior ensembles: Treble Choir (Scarlet Burke, Maya Demarais, Kendall Dye, Ann Galbraith, Elizabeth Holien, Sol Holmquist, Nora Ide, Lavena James, Eliot Jennings, Sophie McDermott, Kayla Richardson, Lyla Rudolph, Jackie Solem, Madeline Spear, Grayson Wood and Dessi Young); Lithuanian Quartet (Jackie Solem, Lizzy Holien, Lyla Rudolph and Kiley Ohs); duet (Nora Ide and Grayson Wood); Cantadores (Connor Cornutt, Lizzy Holien, Sam Nissen and Kiley Ohs); duet (Madeline Spear and Kendall Dye). 

Reporter Hilary Matheson can be reached at 406-758-4431 or hmatheson@dailyinterlake.com. If you value local journalism, pledge your support at dailyinterlake.com/support.