Student musicians from South High School in Downers Grove participated in the 2015 Solo and Ensemble Contest sponsored by IHSA and hosted this year at Hinsdale South High School.
Students prepare solos and ensembles and play for an expert adjudicator, receiving both a score and a rating, and, formative feedback for improvement. Additionally, students performing solos must play scales from memory, demonstrating technical mastery on their instruments outside of their prepared solo work.
In total, more than 60 students participated in 48 different events. 37 students performed as soloists, and more than 25 students formed 11 different ensembles during the course of the day. Students from both the bands and the orchestras from South High School participated in this event.
South High School senior Sam Tedeschi earned a perfect score of 40/40 on his tuba solo, as did freshmen Amy Wang on flute. Amy Wang also earned a citation from the IHSA called "Best in Room." This is a citation given by the judge for having the most superior performance in the room for that day.
"Regardless of rating or score, we are proud of every student for choosing to pursue musical growth through this process." said Fine Arts Department Chairman Glenn Williams. "The individual growth that occurs through studying and performing chamber music is substantial."
Here are the students that earned a Division I rating, described on the judges sheet as "a superior performance - outstanding in nearly every detail"
Hayley Beube - violin solo
Hayley Beube, Helena Beikircher, Chloe Lapen, Allison Williams - string quartet
Helena Beikircher - violin solo
Allie Brandt - clarinet
Allie Brandt and Hailey Rodden - woodwind duet
Jake Burrows, Gillian Rustik, Paul Kozak, Adam Rosiginal - brass quartet
Nicolette Cheaure - viola solo
Seth Collins - violin solo
Meghan Diddia - piano solo
Brooke Drzweicki and Ashley Seery - woodwind duet
Kevin Fera - trumpet
Samantha Gaspari - flute solo
Isabelle Genin - violin solo
Kevin Hux - trombone solo
Brianna Imgruet - trumpet solo
Bella Kelly - violin solo
Matt Laczynski - trombone solo
Tiffany Leung - piano solo
Bridget Moroney and Julia Poska - clarinet duet
Bridget Moroney - clarinet solo
Nithin Nathan - violin solo
Brooke Nuccio - flute solo
Brooke Nuccio, Eileen Walsh-Rock, Susan Zhou, Lauren Swain, Kyla Swain - woodwind quintet
Julia Poska - clarinet solo
Liz Prazak and Erik Seelander - trumpet duet
Hailey Rodden - oboe solo
Joseph Shen - flute solo
Bobby Steiner - trombone solo
Kyla Swain - horn solo
Lauren Swain - bassoon solo
Sam Tedeschi - tuba solo (perfect score of 40/40)
Sam Tedeschi, Paul Gurnic, Brianna Imgruet, Andrew Sullivan-Boorman, Adam Zlotnicki - brass quintet
Olivia Tyrrell and Emily White - alto saxophone duet
Amy Wang - flute solo (perfect score of 40/40 and "Best in Room" award)
Eileen Walsh-Rock - oboe solo
Allison Williams - cello solo
Here are the students that earned a Division II rating, described on the judges sheet as "An excellent performance - minor defects:
Nikil Chari - violin solo
Isaiah Durrani - violin solo
Isabelle Genin and Lindsay Tom - violin duet
Chloe Lapen - violin solo
Kristina Mucha - clarinet solo
Brian Piller - alto saxophone solo
Peter Radakovic - euphonium solo
Chandana Sooranahalli - violin solo
Lindsay Tom - violin solo
