Glenwood City, Boyceville musicians participate in D-SC Honors Band and Choir

MONDOVI — The best high school musicians throughout the Dunn-St. Croix Conference once again renewed their friendships and a long-running tradition when they gathered here on Saturday, January 27, 2018.

The Dunn-St. Croix All-Conference Honors Band and Choir Festival marked its 40th year this past January as 240 student musicians and 18 instrumental and choral directors, including a guest conductor/clinician, from nine conference schools melded at Mondovi High School on Saturday, January 27 for an afternoon filled with outstanding musical performances. The collaboration included students from Boyceville, Colfax, Durand, Elk Mound, Elmwood, Glenwood City, Mondovi, Plum City and Spring Valley.

Glenwood City and Boyceville were once again well represented in the annual Dunn-St. Croix Music Honors Program.

Glenwood City, in particular, sent a large selection of student musicians. Glenwood City had 58 or nearly a quarter of the students that participated in the 2018 event. The Hilltoppers held 35 seats on the 112-member band and had 23 were participants of the honors choir, which was 128 voices strong.

Boyceville had 17, seven musicians in the band and ten vocalists in the choir.

Started in 1979, the Dunn-St. Croix Honors Project was a way of bringing together the finest musicians in the conference. From its inception, the main philosophy was to have students from different schools work toward a common goal of cooperation and excellence rather than competing for first place. Even through conference realignments, this group of schools has remained dedicated to this goal as the Dunn-St. Croix Music Association.

For the past quarter of a century, a guest conductor/clinician led a portion of the Honors Music Festival. This year the Dunn-St. Croix Honors Band was under the direction of Merlyn Aude, former vocal and instrumental music teacher at Plum City High School where he spent much of his 36 year teaching career before retiring. Aude received his Bachelor of Music Education-vocal emphasis from UW-Eau Claire and is still and active conductor for the Valley Gospel Choir based in Eau Claire. He is also an adjudicator and clinician for the Wisconsin School Music Association. Aude directed the band through its five selected pieces.

The Honors Choir also performed five musical selections and were under the direction of Glenwood City’s Angela Hierlmeier, Spring Valley’s Debbie Bowman, Boyceville’s Ben Simmerman, Taylor Wallace of Elmwood and Tricia Perau from Durand.

Selection to the Honors Band or Choir is based on an application process that measures student musical achievements through participation and involvement in a wealth of musical activities that include solo and ensemble festivals and previous honors groups. The application is combined with their music director’s recommendation to complete the process. The following area students were selected to the Dunn-St. Croix Honors Band and Choir.

Glenwood City

Choir:  Anna Brighman, Soprano I; Emma Scholler, Soprano I; Biridiana Leandro-Mendez, Soprano II;  Marie Schmidt, Soprano II; Maggie Wallin, Soprano II; Julia Nerby, Alto I; Olivia Scalze, Alto I;  Hanna Strehlo, Alto I; Andi Ho Britton, Alto II; Mariah Voeltz, Alto II; Elizabeth Wink, Alto II; Dillon Hierlmeier, Tenor; Tanner Davis, Tenor; Owen Wagner, Tenor; Connor Olson, Tenor; Collin Schone, Tenor; Henry Wallin, Tenor; Hadin DeSmith, Bass; Ethan Kahler, Bass; Jacob Nadeau, Bass; Stephen Olson, Bass; Peter Hill, Bass; and Gavin Samp, Bass.

Band: Tressa Peskar, Flute I; Melina Schultz, Flute I; Kaitlin Lee, Flute I; Maddie Oehlke, Oboe; Annika Bauman, Basson; Olivia Janson, Clarinet I; Michaela Nyhus, Clarinet I; Becca Peterson, Clarinet II; Erin Davis, Clarinet II; ; Tabitha Nadeau, Clarinet III; Mikayla Sina, Clarinet III; Isabelle Arbuckle, Clarinet III; Cortney Lawson, Bass Clarinet; Esther Stauffer, Bass Clarinet; Delaney Quinn, Bass Clarinet; Leah Magsam, Alto Saxophone I;  Logan Bazille, Alto Saxophone II; Will Eggert, Alto Saxophone II; Isabel Draxler, Tenor Saxophone; Matt Bauman, Trumpet I; Ethan Hansen, Trumpet II; Emily Hill, Trumpet II; Alex Holldorf, Trumpet II; Jack Hindes, Trumpet II; Riley Berends, Trumpet II; Ally Motz, Trumpet III; Tom Rosenow, Trumpet III; Bradley Kessler, Trombone I; Will Owen, Trombone I; Delanie Fayerweather, Trombone II; Mae Buttles, Euphonium; Nicholas Melendrez, Tuba; Nyah Anderson, Percussion; Shelby Rundquist, Percussion; and Nolan Stodola, Percussion.

Boyceville

Choir: Ali Fenton, Soprano I; Hayley Bird, Soprano II; Paulina Wienke, Soprano II; Caitlyn Pelikan, Alto I; Noelle Wheeldon, Alto I; Anna Evenson, Alto II; Hannah Wyss, Alto II; Damien Waller, Tenor; Tanner Anderson, Bass; and Luke Knudtson, Bass.

Band: Grace Edlin, Flute II; Mariah Drury, Flute II; Kailynn Bird, Flute II; Brandon Nunnery-Markham, Euphonium; Tanner Anderson, Tuba; Brendan Sempf, Percussion; and Jaden Reisimer, Percussion.