Four Wrangell High School musicians will attend the Southeast Honor Music Festival Oct. 25-27 in Haines, Alaska, the Wrangell Sentinel reported.
Sophomores Clara Carney and Stella Buness, junior Silje Morse and senior Andrei Bardin-Siekawitch represented the choir and band at last year’s festival in Wrangell and are returning this year, according to the newspaper.
The festival brings together students from high schools across Southeast Alaska for music instruction and performance with guest directors. Buness said the experience differs from a typical choir class because students want to be there and share a love of music. Carney agreed, describing it as an elevated group with a shared goal of sounding their best.
Morse, who sings Alto 2, said the festival allows students to make friends and build connections year after year. Carney, singing Soprano 1, said she must protect her voice before performances, especially with a volleyball tournament scheduled beforehand.
Bardin-Siekawitch, the only instrumentalist attending on tenor saxophone, said working with passionate musicians creates a collaborative environment unavailable elsewhere. He credited guest directors with teaching him to consider flow and phrasing, not just notes.
Guest conductors include Villanova University jazz band director Peter Neu and University of Kansas voice teacher Taryn Gervais. Buness said the festival allows students to experience what is possible beyond the limits of a school choir class.
For more information, visit wrangellsentinel.com.