Seven soloists from the LHS band qualified for the state solos and small ensembles festival, which was held on April 27th, 2024. Each of these instrumentalists received I, or Excellent, ratings on their solo pieces at the regional music festival, which qualified them for state. Arianna Hemken qualified on flute, David Colglazier on trumpet, Cassie Manry on flute, Leah Pinkston on bass clarinet, Tristan Thompson on alto saxophone, Troy Hemken on alto saxophone, and Slade Sundahl on trap set. The state music festival was held at the Salina South High School, and these students had excellent results from the state festival.
Arianna Hemken received a II rating at the state festival. She mentioned in an interview “I have been working on this piece for around 14 weeks now, so I felt very confident going into the state festival, but overall I was disappointed in my results.” Arianna is a senior at Larned, and she is going to play flute in the Fort Hays State University marching band and concert band.
David Colglazier received a perfect rating on his trumpet solo, which means he received the highest I rating possible! David is a sophomore at LHS, and this was David’s second trumpet solo of his high school music career. He received a I rating at all three music events: league, regionals, and state. David mentioned that he plans to perform another trumpet solo next year, in addition to his yearly piano solo.
Cassie Manry played flute at the state festival, and she earned a I rating. She stated, “I was very nervous, especially because last year I did not qualify for state, so I did not have the experience, but I knew this year I had worked much harder, so that boosted my confidence.” Cassie practiced practically every day in band class leading up to the state festival, and she also practiced outside of school hours to perfect her piece. It is no wonder she received an Outstanding rating on her solo.
Originally, Leah Pinkston played the clarinet, but she decided to try something a bit different. Leah has been playing the bass clarinet for around one year, and this was her first high school solo. Despite her inexperience with the new, larger, instrument, Leah secured a I rating at the state competition. She mentioned in an interview, “I am more comfortable with my bass clarinet, and I feel that I am far more successful with it; I was still nervous to play for judges for the first time though.” Despite her nerves, Leah performed well, and her rating shows it!
Tristan Thompson received a I rating on his alto saxophone solo, and he was ecstatic about it. He mentioned, “I knew I had worked hard on my piece, so in my mind there wasn’t any other option but getting a I at state.” Tristan received a I rating on his solo at both league and regional festivals, and he finished it off with a I medal from the state festival. Tristan stated that he plans to perform a solo again next year, despite his busy spring schedule.
Troy Hemken played alto saxophone at the state music festival, and he firmly secured a I rating on his piece. Troy is a freshman at LHS this year, and this was his first experience performing a solo. He worked around his busy tennis schedule and managed to squeeze in enough practice time to perfect his piece. He stated, “I was not really nervous going into the state festival because in my mind, I’m a freshman, so if I mess up it does not really matter in the end.” Troy stated he does plan to perform another solo next year.
Slade Sundahl is also a freshman, and Slade performed a trap set solo at state. Slade originally played the trumpet, but he switched to percussion in middle school, though he still plays trumpet from time to time. Slade earned a I rating at the state festival with his trap set, and he stated, “I enjoyed being able to take my drums to the festival to play, but I was a little anxious about performing a solo, but the weather was more nerve wracking than the solo.” Despite Slade’s busy baseball schedule, he was able to secure a medal at state, and it will be great to see him perform again next year!
Larned has some talented musicians within the high school band, and they have worked hard to do their best at each and every one of their festivals. These band members have dedicated their time and efforts to these music pieces for over three months this spring, and their hard work surely paid off at the state music festival!
