By: Katelyn Stearns
Saturday, March 2nd was the 2024 Solo and Ensemble Festival, where musicians from several schools around the area gathered at Lake Geneva Middle School to perform. Solo and Ensemble is a festival arranged by the Wisconsin School Music Association (WSMA), where students perform their pieces in front of judges and then receive comments on how to improve and a score.
This is a great opportunity for students to have their skills critiqued by someone who has no prior knowledge or biases about them. The judges score the performances, with 1 being the highest rating and 5 being the lowest. There are 3 different difficulty levels a student may perform in, Class A, B, and C. Class A is the most challenging, and Class C is an entry-level performance.
If a student performs at a Class A level, they have a chance to go to state if they score high enough.
This year, several students from Delavan Darien High School qualified for state:
Brain Aguilar – Cello Solo
Vivienne Frenz – Violin Solo
Madelynn Gums – Alto (vocal) Solo
Madelynn Gums – Musical Theater Solo
Kora Hertz – Alto (vocal) Solo
Kora Hertz – Musical Theater Solo
Camden Lockhart – Cello Solo
Audrey Mathes – French Horn Solo
Mackenzie Karbash – Musical Theater Solo
Kristina Stearns – Soprano (vocal) Solo
Madelynn Gums and Bray Peandro – Vocal duet
String Choir (orchestra ensemble) – Sarah Barajas, Josh Brown, Rocio Dominguez Castanda, Vivienne Frenz, Ruby Hernandez Torres, Iesha Lee, Camden Lockhart, Julian Rocha, Mason Rodriguez, Clemente Santoya, Katelyn Stearns, Sophia Szczap, Logan Thiele, Alyssa Wimer, Kylene Yartey.
Jazz Ensemble – Dominic Agredano, Amran Avila Montaya, Avi Biesk, Joshua Brown, Dominic Gluchman, Ethan Hiemstra, Ty Hillson, Emily Lock, Alexander Lopez, Audrey Mathes, Hunter Meyer, Ricardo Moreno, Adam Nevela, Aaron O’Neil, Jacob Peandro, Giovanni Samuel, Kaydence Stone, and Rigo Villegas.
Solo and Ensemble is a unique opportunity for students as not all schools in the Rock Valley Conference participate. Solo and Ensemble not only helps students improve their musical skills, but it also requires them to introduce themselves to the judge and present themselves professionally. Several of our students who were at Solo and Ensemble said that they had a lot of fun, and almost everyone who participated in it agreed that it was a great experience. Good luck and congratulations to those who made it to state!
thecometeer