Twenty Oscoda Area High School band students participated in MSBOA (Michigan School Band and Orchestra Association) District 9 Solo and Ensemble Festival on Saturday, February 4, 2023. The event was held at Tawas High School and included students from thirteen area school districts.
The Solo and Ensemble Festival is an opportunity for individual students to perform a selection of their choice for adjudication. Students can perform as soloists, and in ensembles of up to 20 members.
Each student or ensemble is evaluated by one judge and rated on a scale of 1 to 5 with 1 being the highest rating possible. Students are evaluated in the areas of Tone, Intonation, Rhythm, Technique, and Interpretation.
Soloists or ensembles earning a Division 1 (or “Superior”) rating are qualified for State Solo and Ensemble Festival which will be held on March 18 in Cadillac. The basic structure of State Solo and Ensemble is the same as District, but the students are held to a higher standard. Soloists in grades 10-12 must perform Proficiency Exams at State Solo and Ensemble Festival which include scales and sight-reading, in addition to their prepared solos.
Participants earning a rating of 1 or 2 (“Excellent”) at District or State Festivals are eligible to receive medals.
Earning a Division 2 (“Excellent”) Rating from Oscoda:
Karissa Beach (12), flute soloist performing “Madrigal” by Philippe Gaubert
John Melendez (12), trumpet soloist performing “Le Tambourin” by Jean-Phillippe Rameau
Earning a Divison 1 (“Superior”) Rating from Oscoda:
Nichole Leeseberg (12), flute soloist performing “Spanish Folk Song” by Ralph R. Guenther
Saxophone Nonet performing “Capriol Suite” by Peter Warlock and arranged by Karen Lopez: Axel Raybourn (12) soprano saxophone; Aidan Taylor (12), soprano saxophone; Julian Gawne (12), alto saxophone; Hannah Moore (10), alto saxophone; Mia Whipkey (12), alto saxophone; Grace Bergquist (12), tenor saxophone; Maggie Thibault (12), tenor saxophone; Patrick Boje (12), baritone saxophone and Joshua McDonald (10), baritone saxophone.
Stephanie Oakes (11), bass clarinet soloist performing “Danse Macabre” by Camille Saint-Saens
Raymond Cowles (11) and John Melendez, trumpet duet performing “Friends” by Clay Smith.
Joshua McDonald, tenor saxophone soloist performing “Minuet in d minor” by Johann Sebastian Bach.
Stephanie Oakes and Joshua McDonald, bass clarinet and tenor saxophone duet performing “Ave Verum Corpus” by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.
Patrick Boje, baritone saxophone soloist performing “Undercurrent” by Newell H. Long
Andrew Moore (11), marimba soloist performing “Hungarian Dance No. 5” by Johannes Brahms
Maggie Thibault, tenor saxophone soloist performing “Prelude and Allegro” by Leroy Ostransky
Nichole Leeseberg and Karissa Beach, flute duet performing “Fantasia” by Georg Philipp Telemann and “Two Duets” by Ernesto Kohler.
Saxophone Quartet performing “Allegro de Concert” by Jean-Baptist Singelee: Aidan Taylor, soprano saxophone; Julian Gawne, alto saxophone, Axel Raybourn, tenor saxophone and Patrick Boje baritone saxophone.
Chamber Choir performing “See the Conquering Hero Comes” by George Frederic Handel and arranged by Karen Lopez: Axel Raybourn, alto saxophone; Julian Gawne, alto saxophone; Aidan Taylor, alto saxophone, Grace Bergquist, tenor saxophone; Maggie Thibault, tenor saxophone; Stephanie Oakes, bass clarinet; Patrick Boje, baritone saxophone; John Melendez trumpet and Raymond Cowles, trumpet.
Percussion Sextet performing “Las Gallanitas” by Aaron Dale: Aidan Taylor, xylophon;, Andrew Moore, vibraphone; Hannah Moore, marimba; Avery Lopez (10), marimba; Kaleb Williams (10), marimba and Zachary Ridgewell (11), marimba.
Maya Lopez (9) and Jaidalyn Kotula (9), a flute duet performing “Don’t Ever Pass Up Pie!” from Georg Philipp Telemann and arranged by Tyler Arcari and “Italian Rustic Dance” from the works of Anonymous 18th Century Composers.
Grace Bergquist and Avery Lopez, tenor saxophone and marimba duet performing “Never a Dull Moment” by Daniel Gottlob Turk and “Two Duets” by Ernesto Kohler.
Oscoda events were accompanied by Karen MacGregor on piano
and were coached by Karen Lopez, Jim Sapp, and Cole VanderVeen.
Karen R. Lopez, MA of Music Education
Band and Choir Director
Oscoda Area Schools