Young musicians invited to join All-State, All-Northwest honor groups

Pictured above, from left: Kimberly Claassen, Emily Liu, Donald William Higgins, Eva Stoumbos, Lauren Clark, Brent Hall, Jason Anderson, Dave Chartrey, Spencer Reid-Rice, Mason McCloud, Philip Denton, David Conditt and James O’Banion. Not pictured: Halie Borror, Caroline Brenner, Gabi Durose, Mya Howard, Rio Ishii, Nathan Harris, Sarah O’Mara and Ann Medellin.

Talented young musicians from Vancouver Public Schools recently were selected for the National Association for Music Education’s (NAfME) 2015 All-Northwest high school honor groups and Washington Music Educators Association’s (WMEA) 2015 All-State honor groups.

Spencer Reid-Rice, a tenor from Skyview High School, was one of 340 students selected for the NAfME All-Northwest Mixed Choir. His teacher is Philip Denton.

Three VPS students were among the 220 students selected for the NAfME All-Northwest Orchestra: Jason Anderson, a violinist from Columbia River High School; Halie Borror, a violinist from Skyview High School; and Eva Stoumbos, a string bass player from Vancouver School of Arts and Academics. Their teachers are, respectively, David Chartrey, Sarah O’Mara and Ann Medellin.

The 300-member WMEA All-State Symphonic Choir will include Lauren Clark, an alto from Fort Vancouver High School; Mason McCloud, a tenor from Skyview High School; and Nathan Harris, a bass from Skyview High School. Clark’s teacher is Kimberly Claassen. McCloud and Harris’ teacher is Philip Denton.

Four VPS students will join the 150-member WMEA All-State Symphony Orchestra: Caroline Brenner, a violinist from Vancouver School of Arts and Academics; Gabi Durose, a string bass player from Vancouver School of Arts and Academics; Rio Ishii, a string bass player from Columbia River High School; and Emily Liu, a violinist from Skyview High School. Brenner and Durose’s teacher is Ann Medellin. Ishii and Liu’s teachers are David Chartrey and Sarah O’Mara, respectively.

Brent Hall, a violinist from Thomas Jefferson Middle School, and Mya Howard, a cellist from Vancouver School of Arts and Academics, have been appointed to the WMEA Junior All-State Orchestra. Their teacher is Ann Medellin.

From Discovery Middle School, French horn player Donald William Higgins was one of 85 students named to the WMEA Junior All-State Rainier Band. His teacher is David Conditt.

All students invited to join All-State and All-Northwest honor groups will perform at the NAfME 44th Biennial Northwest Division Conference in February 2015.