Story by Ammie Bryant

Ten members of the Stillwater High School band have been named to this year’s All-State band. To earn a spot, musicians must pass through two to three rounds of auditions. The first auditions are in early November, with the second and third rounds held in December. Students must learn new music for the second round of auditions with only four weeks to perfect their performance. The students selected will spend time in January working in virtual rehearsals and will record two pieces that will be compiled for each All-State ensemble and released in late January.

SHS Band’s All-State members this year are: Lenna Abouzahr 1^st chair piccolo Symphonic Band, Emma Li 1^st chair clarinet Orchestra, Annie Koh 6^th chair clarinet Wind Symphony, Alex Zhang 9^th chair clarinet Symphonic Band, Sydney Thomas 11^th chair clarinet Symphonic Band, Kadyn Casteel 5^th alternate clarinet, Tom Wells 1^st chair baritone saxophone Wind Symphony, Sophie Villasenor 2^nd alternate baritone saxophone, Neil Aker 6^th chair trumpet Symphonic Band, and Connor Zamborsky 5^th chair horn Wind Symphony. Emma Li, Annie Koh, and Neil Aker are also receiving awards as three-year members of All-State.

“This year has been very challenging on so many different fronts, and All-State auditions are no exception,” said Kevin Zamborsky, Stillwater’s Director of Bands. “The audition process this year was done through recordings, so each student came in individually and had one shot to play their best audition. Additionally, the window between the first recording and the second was only two weeks, so students had to begin working on their second round music before they had even finished their first audition! It was a lot of pressure for the students, and I’m incredibly proud of these students, as well as all the others who had the courage to follow through with this process.”