The top concert band at Collinsville High School has been selected as one of the top concert bands in the state of Illinois.
The Collinsville Wind Ensemble playing at the 2013 Illinois SuperState Concert Band Festival / submitted photo
The CHS Wind Ensemble was chosen to play at the 2014 Illinois SuperState Concert Band Festival. The group is one of only 25 high school bands in the state to receive the honor, one of only 10 in Class AAA and one of only two from Southern Illinois. O’Fallon Township High School was also selected.
The event will be held May 9-10 on the campus of the University of Illinois. CHS will participate on May 10.
This will be the second consecutive year CHS will play at the festival that CHS Band Director Bob Wright called “the highest honor an Illinois Band can receive.”
The honor is also only the second in the history of Collinsville High School, Wright said. Both came in the two years that Wright has been the director.
Bands from all over the state vie for the honor by submitting a recording of a concert that is judged by professional musicians. The CHS band submitted a recording of their performance at the Winter Concert, held at Collinsville High School.
While at the Illinois SuperState Festival, the band will play in front of four judges, who will provide feedback. One honor band is selected from each class based on their performance at the festival. That group is invited back to perform the following year.
But the event is not about competition. “The honor is being selected to go,” Wright said.
Members of the Collinsville High School Wind Ensemble are:
Flute
*Katelyn Ward (Picc), Rebekah Perry, Greg Bardwell, Danielle Maggio, Ashley Rasp
Oboe
*Abby Auer, Tara Lund
Bassoon
*Michael Harding
Clarinet
* Casey Powers, Jordan Harrington, Caitlin Martin, Leah Cummins, Callista Poiter, Ellie Bohnenstiehl, Gabby Hodges, Phajja Johnson
Bass Clarinet
* Miguel Gonzalez, Meghan Kleeb, Sarah Vessell, Adrianna Lucas
Alto Saxophone
*Andrew Martin, Alfredo Deleon
Tenor Saxophone
*Zack Schmitt, Brad Crawford
Baritone Saxophone
*Jivell McDonald
Trumpet
*Amanda Juenger, Tory Greenwood, Ryan Goetter, Christy Juenger, Alex Bell, John Fulton
Horn
*Kaia Cosgriff, Catie Goetter, Russell Latsch
Trombone
*Sean Callahan, Andrew Stahlman, Collin Gehrtz
Euphonium
*Zach Auer, Phillip Collins
Tuba
*Jacob Rosser, James Griffith
Bass
*Sara Kirksey, Ian Maczura
Percussion
*James Schultz, Luke Buettner, Courtney Boyd, Dylan Hall, Kaitlynn Brown, Demarco Hudson
* – Denotes Principle player
