Six area musicians will represent Traverse City in the All-State Orchestra and All-State Band later this month.
Five musicians from Traverse City West Senior High School and one from Traverse City East Junior High will travel to Grand Rapids on January 24-26 for the Third Annual Michigan Music Conference. A gathering of music teachers statewide, only 100 each of the best high school band and orchestra students have been invited to perform.
The musicians were chosen based on a taped audition made in November 3 and 4, when more than 1,800 musicians from around the state also tried out. West High School was a regional audition site and drew a couple hundred students from the region for the individual taping sessions. Judges selected the All-State Band and Orchestra members anonymously from the recordings and winners were notified by e-mail in December.
"They're all stellar but you have to have a perfect audition to make it,” said Pat Brumbaugh, director of bands at West High School, of the Traverse City representatives. "It's got to be perfect because they're so many other really good players, especially in the Ann Arbor area and the Lansing area.”
Andrew Maxbauer, a senior percussionist, and Olivia Casciano, a junior flute player will play with the orchestra. Seniors Alex Gusler on percussion and Aneka Saxon on flute will join sophomore Aaron Kelly on trumpet in the band.
Standout junior high musician Chris Cooke, an eighth grade student at East Junior High, will play the tuba in the Junior High All-State Band.
"We practice for two days and then perform the third day,” said Cooke, who admits to being both nervous and excited about the opportunity.
Weighing in on the choir front for Traverse City at the conference, Wendee Wolf-Schlarf will direct the East Junior High School Chamber Choir and Symphonic Ladies Choir during vocal performance portion of the conference, two of only seven choirs invited in the state.
Being chosen as one of the 100 best high school band or orchestra musicians in the state is both an honor and a learning opportunity. Students are expected to arrive at the conference having already learned the music and ready to perfect it as a group. Once at the conference, they will be steeped in music and surrounded by other musicians of equal talent and passion.
"You play a lot and a lot harder music,” said Casciano, who attended All-State Orchestra last year as well. "If you know [the music] already when you get there it makes it a lot easier. And you get to go to a lot of concerts, too.”
Gusler, also attending his second All-State event, recalled that the atmosphere is like being part of a professional band.
"You're playing a lot with musicians of your own skill, the top musicians from the state and it's really fast-paced,” he said, noting that the band will play three or four pieces.
East Junior High director of bands is "furiously proud” of Cooke, calling him a leader in the band and one that judges determined would help lead the Junior High All-State Band.
"Chris is an outstanding musician: he plays with a full sound, good style, steady pulse, accurate pitch and tons of energy,” said Deneen. "In many ways, a tuba player in a band is like a quarterback: his job is to make everyone else sound good. Chris pushes the entire 60-piece band with his playing.”
The chance to attend, learn and perform in All-State Band or All-State Orchestra can fire up a student beyond high school.
"They're so excited, first of all because they'll have such a great musical experience,” noted Brumbaugh. "Plus, they've met a bunch of friends from all over the state and if they go on to major in music in college they're already getting to know people.”