LCHS students selected for Northwest Iowa Honor Band Festival

Le Mars Community High School students selected to participate in the Northwest Iowa High School Honor Band Festival in January are, front row (from left) -- Gail Bauler, Justina Schimek, Andrea Kelly, Kristen Ahlers, Rebecca Ahlers, Samm Rich and Palani Permeswaran. Second row -- Jessica Kelly, Jill Ahlers, Kim Ohrlund, Michael Sauer, Katelyn Ewing, Lizzy Koele, Brian Hughes and Anne Meis. Third row -- Catie Meis, Brandon Trammell, Abby Barrett, Zack Nemmers, Katharine Robotham, Kris Ohrlund, Morgan McMurray, Rachel Meredith and Megan Dunn. Back row -- Hannah Barrett, Sam Schroeder, Adam Curry, Hannah Steen, Sam Leonard, Nathan Hettinger, Nathan Young and David King.

Thirty-two Le Mars Community High School band members will join with students from 44 area high schools to combine their talents for the 55th annual Northwest Iowa Honor Band Festival.

The festival will be held Jan. 10, 2009, with a concert at 7 p.m. in Eppley Auditorium on the Morningside College campus in Sioux City. Approximately 225 high school musicians were chosen through auditions held Nov. 1 in Storm Lake from among 450 entries.

Le Mars Community High School will be represented by:

Samm Rich, Gail Bauler, Zack Nemmers on flute;

Katherine Robotham on Eb clarinet;

Morgan McMurray, Jill Ahlers, Hannah Barrett, Anne Meis, Abbey Barrett, Hannah Steen, Justina Schimek on clarinet;

Brian Hughes, Rachel Meredith on oboe;

Adam Curry on bassoon;

Megan Dunn, Rebecca Ahlers, Andrea Kelly on alto saxophone;

David King on baritone saxophone;

Sam Leonard, Kristin Ahlers, Palani Permeswaran, Katelyn Ewing on horn;

Kim Ohrlund, Nathan Hettinger, Brandon Trammell, Catie Meis on trumpet;

Nathan Young, Sam Schroeder on trombone;

Kris Ohrlund on tuba;

Jessica Kelly, Michael Sauer, Lizzy Koele on percussion.

The festival will feature two bands of equal size and instrumentation, according to LCS band director Curt Ohrlund. The bands will rehearse throughout the day preparing music selected by the guest conductors. Conducting this year's festival will be Dr. Scott Weiss and Dr. William Carson.

Weiss is the director of bands and associate professor of music at the University of Kansas where he conducts the KU Wind Ensemble, directs the graduate program in wind conducting, and guides all aspects of the university wind band program. In addition, Weiss serves as the music director and conductor of the KUKC Youth Wind Symphony. Previously he served on the conducting faculties at the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music, Lamar University, and Emory University. Additionally, he was the music director of the Southeast Texas Youth Symphony, and he has nine years of public school teaching experience in Fairfax County, Va., and Cobb County, Ga.

Weiss is the national recipient of the American School Band Directors Association/United Music Instruments Award for outstanding conducting and teaching, and in 2005 he received a University Merit Award for distinguished teaching from Lamar University. He holds an undergraduate degree from the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music as well as both a master's and a doctoral degree from the University of Illinois. Ensembles under his direction have performed at the Midwest Clinic, the Western International Band Conference, and the National Concert Band Festival.

As a guest conductor, Weiss has conducted throughout North America, China and Europe. A strong proponent of new music, Weiss has commissioned, premiered and recorded several new works. He has presented papers at musicology conferences in Austria and Luxembourg, and his research is published in Alta Musica. Professional affiliations include the International Society for the Investigation and Promotion of Wind Bands, the College Band Directors National Association, the World Association of Symphonic Bands and Wind Ensembles, the Music Educators National Conference, and the National Band Association.

Carson is director of bands at Coe College, where he conducts the Concert Band and the Senior Honor Band, teaches clarinet, conducting, and music history courses, and serves as administrator for the annual Jazz Summit and Festival of Bands. Carson earned degrees at Macalester College, Southern Illinois University, and Arizona State University, and has served as an award-winning music teacher for schools in Illinois, Indiana, New Hampshire, Arizona, and Iowa.

In 1992 Carson's doctoral dissertation won the Council for Research in Music Education's Outstanding Dissertation Award. The Bill Carson Big Band performs swing music for weddings and other social events, and Carson has played woodwind instruments with the Cedar Rapids, Waterloo/Cedar Falls, and Dubuque Symphonies. He was business manager of the Cedar Rapids Municipal Band from 1992-2004.

Carson, who is listed in Marquis Who's Who in American Education, has extensive experience as a guest conductor, including performances with the United States Army Field Band, the Marine Band of Camp LeJeune, the Air Force Heartland of America Band, and the CBDNA Regional All-Star Band. Over the years, Carson's travels as a conductor, clinician, and performer have taken him to thirtyfour states and eighteen foreign countries. His book - "On the Path to Excellence: The Northshore Concert Band - Paynter, Buehlman and Beyond" is published by Meredith Music and is available from the author, through the publisher and its distributor, Hal Leonard, and online at Amazon.com, and his new edition of Percy Grainger's band version of "Spoon River" is coming soon from Southern Music.

The Northwest Iowa Bandmasters Association, a group of band directors from 15 Northwest Iowa counties, sponsors the concert. Officers of this year's organization include: president Kurt Schwarck, Spencer High School; vice-president Tom Cronin, Westwood High School, Sloan; secretary Paul Jepson, Spencer Middle School; treasurer Curt Ohrlund, Le Mars Community High School.

Tickets for the evening concert will be available at the door. Admission is $5 for adults and $3 for students.