Nine U-46 student musicians honored at board meeting

Posted March 04, 2020 10:00 pm

Submitted by Elgin Area School District U-46

Nine Elgin Area School District U-46 high school students were recognized by the board of education Feb. 24 with an "Accent on Achievement" for their outstanding achievements as musicians, including a student who was named the best high school clarinet player in the state of Illinois.

Students participated in the Illinois Music Education Association competitive audition process to be named All-State Musicians, the highest musical achievement for high schoolers in Illinois. Selected students performed at the ILMEA's annual music education conference Jan. 29 to Feb. 1 in Peoria.

"Our dedicated music teachers offer students a strong musical education in U-46," said Jaimie Giraldo, U-46 Coordinator of Fine Arts. "Opportunities like the ILMEA allow students to perform and practice their artistry surrounded by gifted musicians from across the state."

Last year, U-46 was one of 13 districts in the state to earn the Best Communities for Music Education designation from the NAMM Foundation.

Six of the seven U-46 performing students were placed into the Honors ensembles. Larkin High School's Ethan Montgomery won the clarinet audition and sat as the principal clarinet in the Honors Band.

The board recognized the following students with "Accent on Achievement" certificates.

• South Elgin High School: Jacob Pangilinan, sophomore, All-State Chorus - Bass I; and David Galanes, senior, All-State Honors Orchestra - Oboe;

• Larkin High School: Ethan Montgomery, junior, All-State Honors Band - Clarinet (First Chair); Elianna Nielsen, senior, All-State Honors Orchestra - Viola; and Miguel Rodriguez, junior, All-State Honors Band - Flute.

• Bartlett High School: Gauri Yadav, junior, All-State Honors Chorus - Alto II; Ryan Blake, senior, All-State Honors Band - Euphonium; Tommy Arms, senior - Future Music Educators Symposium; and Mikayla Chin, junior - Future Music Educators Symposium

Nearly two dozen other U-46 students were selected to participate in the ILMEA District IX honors festival, which U-46 participates in annually. Students from around the suburban area audition before a panel of professional musicians and are selected based on their ranking among their peers.

The U-46 students selected for the ILMEA District IX honors festival are:

• Bartlett High School: Senior Chloe Fox (chorus - soprano I), junior Kara Fox (chorus - soprano I), senior Daniel Hernandez (chorus - tenor I), junior Nick Raymundo (chorus - tenor II), and junior Ziona Tharakan (chorus - alto I), senior Thomas Arms (band - trumpet), senior Lawrence Yap (chorus - tenor II)

• Larkin High School: Senior Cassie Valdes (chorus - alto II), junior Tyler Hopkins (band - alto sax), sophomore Jackson Baker (jazz band I - trumpet), and junior Ben Dobbeck (jazz band II - trombone), senior Mirando Preuss (orchestra - viola), junior Kyle Saengdara (orchestra - harp)

• Elgin High School: Senior Isabella Hernandez (chorus - alto I), senior Annabelle Mique (chorus - alto II), senior Gian Tupaz (chorus - bass I), sophomore Shaun Tupaz (chorus - bass I), and freshman Stephanie Skrabacz (band - clarinet), junior Salvador Salud (orchestra - viola)

• South Elgin High School: Senior Alexandra Wesner (chorus - alto II), junior Chanel Antoshin (orchestra - flute), and junior Caden Grogan (band - tenor sax)

• Streamwood High School: Junior Joshua Lindahl (chorus - bass I) and senior Zoe Becker (band - horn)

Eleven middle school students were also selected to perform in District IX ensembles. They are:

• Kimball Middle School: eighth-grader Sandar Perez (orchestra - violin II) and eighth-grader Brandon Biddle (band - trumpet II)

• Abbott Middle School: seventh-grader Jenna Mack (band - flute II)

• Eastview Middle School: eighth-grader Aanya Navsariwala (orchestra - violin II), eighth-grader Maison Preuss (orchestra - violin I) and eighth-grader Victoria Nalepka (orchestra - violin II)

• Canton Middle School: eighth-grader James Chung (orchestra - cello)

• Larsen Middle School: seventh-grader Landon Kim (orchestra - violin II)

• Kenyon Woods Middle School: eighth-grader Victoria Vo (orchestra - violin II) and eighth-grader Emma Greenberg (band - clarinet II)

• Tefft Middle School: eighth-grader Kiera Moore (band - bass clarinet)

The board meetings are open to the public and streamed live on YouTube.

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