Northshore Concert Band hosts talented student musicians at Northwestern University

On February 10, 2019, forty-nine Chicago-area student musicians will perform with the Northshore Concert Band as part of their annual Lifetime of Music program. This celebrated event, now in its 17th year, not only gives the students the opportunity to play side by side with members of a world-acclaimed music ensemble on stage at the Pick-Staiger Concert Hall on the Northwestern University campus in Evanston, Illinois, it provides them with a lasting memory. "This was one of my greatest moments of my musical life," said Ryan Wilkov, a student from Riverwoods, Illinois who participated in this program last year.

Participating student musicians are nominated by their band directors and music teachers. Tyler Holstrom has been a Northshore Concert Band member for five years and is a Lifetime of Music event coordinator. "This year we will be welcoming 49 students representing 48 schools and 63 nominators. Students will be coming to us from a 56-mile radius from Pick-Staiger, with our furthest out students joining us from Huntley Middle School (DeKalb, 56 miles), Minooka Junior High School (Minooka, 51 miles), and Traughber Junior High School (Oswego, 43 miles). We have one student joining us from Kenosha, Wisconsin."

Summit Hill Junior High School band director Kim Coughlin said this of last year's event, "This is the third time I've had students involved and all have had wonderful experiences. My student this year was a bassoon player and he'd never been in a bassoon section before (being our only bassoonist). It was a great experience for him to get to play alongside others of his kind."

This program is part of Northshore Concert Bands' mission to encourage involvement in music for people at all stages of life and assist in the music education of young people. The engaging music education programs demonstrate to younger musicians that there are opportunities for them to play and enjoy their instruments their entire lives, regardless of whether they choose a musical vocation.

"The student I selected last year to participate in this event was unsure of playing past 8th grade. After having had the opportunity to participate in this event, he indicated that his participation in this event was one of the main reasons he signed up to play in high school. It was a defining experience in his life and renewed his passion for music." - 2018 Lifetime of Music participating band director

This event is not only a memorable experience for the participating students; it is a highlight for their families. Each year parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles and siblings are given the opportunity to see their family member perform on the big stage.

"The Lifetime of Music event was such an amazing experience for our daughter! She loved playing with all the talented musicians and being part of such a musically fun event," said Larisa Fetterly, 2018 Lifetime of Music parent from Clarendon Hills, Illinois.

The following students are included in the 17th Annual Northshore Concert Band Lifetime of Music concert:

FLUTE - Joseluis Cardoso (Rachel Carson Elementary School, Chicago), Nina Newman (Golf Middle School, Morton Grove), Josue Martinez (Miguel Juarez Middle School, Waukegan), Sarah Ondo (Zion Central Middle School, Zion), Jillian Witt (London Middle School, Wheeling), Estrella Yan (Daniel Wright Junior High School, Lincolnshire)

OBOE - Sara Brann (Hawthorn Middle School North, Vernon Hills), Ernesto Gasse (Forest Park Middle School, Forest Park), Tim Nelson (Emerson Middle School, Niles)

BASSOON - Juliana Norman (Clarendon Hills Middle School, Clarendon Hills), Julia Rasmussen (Huntley Middle School, DeKalb)

CLARINET - Ryan Epstein (Sunset Ridge School, Northfield), Erika Escobar (Jack Benny Middle School, Waukegan), Ashlee Faltz (Traughber Junior High School, Oswego), Matthew Hristov (East Prairie School, Skokie), Roman Pantazopoulos (Gwendolyn Brooks Middle School, Oak Park), Nilofar Sanchez (Viking Middle School, Gurnee), Thomas Smith (Percy Julian Middle School, Oak Park)

BASS CLARINET - Julia Fudge (Beach Park Middle School, Beach Park), Te'a Lindsey (West Point School of Music, Chicago)

ALTO SAXOPHONE - Maxwell Jiang (Wilmette Junior High School, Wilmette), Tyler Kang (Wood Oaks Junior High School, Northbrook ), Michael Shifley (West Oak Middle School, Mundelein), Renaldo Venegas (Elm Middle School, Elmwood Park)

BARITONE SAXOPHONE - Duke Baur (Glencoe Central School, Glencoe)

TENOR SAXOPHONE - Sanjna Batra (Walter R. Sundling Junior High School, Palatine)

TRUMPET - Evan Kessler (Science and Arts Academy, Des Plaines), Ryan Kuchar (Minooka Junior High School, Minooka), Callie Lawrence (Grayslake Middle School, Grayslake), Layla Michaels (Prairie Grove Junior High School, Crystal Lake), Catherine Tyrrell (O'Neill Middle School, Downers Grove), Jessica Wenc (Conrady Junior High School, Hickory Hills)

FRENCH HORN - Ameya Deo (University of Chicago Laboratory School, Chicago), Hannah Janka (Herrick Middle School, Downers Grove), Cadel Saszik (Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Literary and Fine Arts School, Evanston)

TROMBONE - Sam Fallorin (Hester Junior High School, Franklin Park), Morgan Foster (Memorial Junior High School, Lansing), Joseph Mascort (Lincoln Middle School, Park Ridge), Tim Rosland (Westmont Junior High School, Westmont), Marcus Santos (Maple School, Northbrook), John Zerth (Summit Hill Junior High School, Frankfort)

EUPHONIUM - Evanne Cordova (Thomas Jefferson Middle School, Waukegan), Addison Putz (Parkland School, McHenry), Rebecca Susmitch (Christian Life School, Kenosha, WI)

TUBA - Logan Garcia (Robert Abbott Middle School, Waukegan), Michael Shao (Hinsdale Middle School, Hinsdale)

PERCUSSION - Matthew Luerssen (Wood Oaks Junior High School, Northbrook), Sophia Luong (Iroquois Community School, Des Plaines), Amber Wysocki (Nathan Hale Middle School, Crestwood)

The Lifetime of Music concert is the the second concert of Northshore Concert Band's 63rd season. It is on Sunday, February 10, 2019 at 3:00 pm at Pick-Staiger Concert Hall, Northwestern University; 50 Arts Circle Drive in Evanston, Illinois. Conducted by Artistic Director Mallory Thompson, the program is entitled Travels Abroad.

For more information visit their website at www.northshoreband.org or call 847-432-2263