ALTON - The region’s most talented and passionate young performers gathered this Saturday at Alton High School to compete at the Illinois High School Association Solo & Ensemble contest.
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Thousands of students from nearly every single public and private high school in the River Bend showcased their talents for singing, playing an instrument by themselves or within a group in front of judges.
While in their private performances with few spectators, the soloists or groups are instructed to play through designated scales to show their knowledge of their instrumentation before diving directly into their musical pieces.
Halpin Music Repair Technician Ben Davis was also on-site throughout the day providing free instrument cleaning and repair services, making sure that each musician was free of malfunction during their performances.
Over 100 students from Edwardsville High School participated in the contest with band, choir and orchestral pieces.
EHS Orchestra Director Victoria Voumard has been astounded by all of her students’ hard work throughout the preparation for the contest.
“It’s a good performance experience for them,” she said. “They get to play for a judge that they probably don’t know and so the anxiety of doing this and the success after is great.”
Much like some of Voumard’s students, a lot of the young performers in the contest have worked diligently since choosing their musical pieces in the fall with private instructors. Band directors also take the time to work in sectional sessions with their students to ensure that they are on the right track for competition.
Students like Mackenzi Hager of Triad High School tend to get a bit nervous before heading into their performances or even after they had concluded. After her fantastic solo piano rendition of “Cristofori’s Dream,” it was clear that her nerves struck after the final note was played on the ivory keys. Luckily, with her mother and father by her side, they headed to the concession areas to await the posting of her scores.
While performances were taking place at AHS, schools like Southwestern, Jersey and Carrollton High Schools were competed at the Home of the Piasa Birds in their own sectional.
Each soloist or group performance received a rating that then translated into points for the school’s running in the state series, which can be found at through the IHSA website. Some of the local school’s placements go as follows:
Class AA:
13th place: Alton High School - 330 points
16th place: Edwardsville High School - 318 points
20th place: Granite City High School - 249 points
Class A:
14th place: Jersey Community High School - 249 points
44th place: Civic Memorial High School - 93 points
Class B:
32nd place: Marquette Catholic High School - 99 points
44th place: Southwestern High School - 66 points
65th place: Roxana Sr. High School - 15 points
Class C:
30th place: Carrollton High School - 84 points
Class D:
24th place: Father McGivney Catholic High School - 60 points
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