Mountain Lake Public High School (MLHS) recognized the contributions of the fine arts to a school’s curriculum with a Fine Arts Awards Reception held this afternoon (Sunday, May 7), “backstage” in the school’s auditorium. Honored were students who participated this past school year in vocal and instrumental music, drama and speech – including letter winners, solo and ensemble award recipients, sub-section and section speech participants and this year’s seniors.
Distributing the awards were Kurt Jahnke, Director of Bands; Andrea Brinkman, Director of Choirs; Julie Brugman and Crystal Fast, Drama Production Directors (Fall Musical and One-Act) and Laurie Bartsch, Speech Coach.
An ice cream reception was part of the awards distribution program.
In addition, a number of students shared their “Superior” instrumental and/or vocal numbers presented at the Solo/Ensemble Contest held Saturday, May 6, at Jackson County Central Public High School.
Following is a photo gallery from the afternoon reception:
DRAMA DIRECTOR FOR the Fall Musical and One-Act Play, Julie Brugman, presented a series of awards for outstanding drama performances that appearead on-stage over the course of the past school year, assisted by Crystal Fast, One-Act Play Assistant Director. Seated front are seniors receiving “Best” awards; Sam Grev, Best Actor, left and Liana Blomgren, Best Actress, right. Back, Regan Syverson, Outstanding Performance by an Actor in the One-Act Play for his role as Salt in “Salt-N-Pepper,” left and Amy Bartsch, Outstanding Performance by an Actor in the Fall Musical as Lucy in “You’re A Good Man, Charlie Brown,” right. “Charlie Brown” was Brugman’s final Fall Musical production as director, however she will continue directing the school’s One-Act Play performances.
DIRECTOR OF BANDS at MLHS Kurt Jahnke presented Senior Music Awards at the reception. In the center is Sam Hirsch, who received the John Philip Sousa Award. At left is Sam Grev, and at right, Liana Blomgren, both recipients of the Patrick Gilmore Band Award. Both are nationally-presented awards. The John Philip Sousa Award was created and introduced in 1955 with the approval of Helen Sousa Albert and Priscilla Sousa, daughters of the famous composer and bandmaster. It recognizes superior musicianship, leadership, dependability, loyalty and cooperation. The Patrick S. Gilmore Band Award was introduced in 1994 in honor of the legendary bandmaster and impresario, Patrick Gilmore. Gilmore and his band joined General Burnside’s expedition to North Carolina in the Civil War. Gilmore also played for every president of his day – including Abraham Lincoln. This award honors outstanding high school band students and their achievements, leadership and commitment to the band.
TWO SELECTIONS WERE shared by the MLHS Jazz Band, including “Sway,” arranged by John Berry and “After Sunsnet,” by Larry Neeck, featuring Sam Hirsch on an alto sax solo. Band members include, front, from left, percussionist Ethan Klassen, Karen Soutthivong on clarinet and saxophonists Amy Bartsch, Sam Hirsch, Yahayra Sanchez and Braden Rempel. Back, from left, Isaac Grev on electric bass guitar, Ran Blomgren and Kaylaf Vonk, trumpets and trombonists Sam Grev and Liana Blomgren.
LILY KAUFFMAN, RIGHT, presented the vocal solo, “Bel Piacere,” by George Frideric Handel, accompanied on piano by Director of Choirs Andrea Brinkman, left. Kauffman received a Superior rating for her performance at the Saturday, May 6, Solo/Ensemble Contest held at Jackson County Central – and was also recognized as Best in Site.
THIS SAX QUARTET earned a Superior rating at the Solo/Ensemble Contest on Saturday, and today (Sunday, May 7) played their contest piece, “Rustic Song and Siciliana,” by Robert Schumann. From left, Braden Rempel on bass sax, Andrew Fast and Yahayra Sanchez, tenor saxophones and Sam Hirsch, alto sax.
“ALMA DEL CORE” (“Spirit of Being”), by Antonio Caldara, iss the name of the vocal solo shared by Liana Blomgren, right, accompanied on piano by Andrea Brinkman, left. Blomgren earned a Superior rating for the solo at Saturday’s Solo/Ensemble Contest.
SUPERIOR-RATED WOODWINDS. From left, David Larson, Jenneel Rodney and Karen Soutthivong performed the clarinet trio, “Allegro from Divertimento IV,” by W. A. Mozart, at today’s Fine Arts Awards Reception, for which they received a top-performance rating at Saturday’s contest.
THE FLUTE QUARTET selection, “Andante from Second Grand Quartet, Op. 72,” by G. A. Schneider, was presented by, from left, Emily Jahnke, Kurt Jahnke (filling in for quartet member Kassandra Tellez), Lily Kauffman and Brook Sunderman. The foursome’s contest piece received a Superior at Saturday’s Solo/Ensemble Contest.
SENIOR SAM HIRSCH WAS named Best in Site – and additionally received a Perfect Score – at Saturday’s Solo/Ensemble Contest, and performed that number, “Fantaisie Mauresque,” by F. Combelle at Sunday’s reception. Additional instrumentalists earning Superiors at the contest included David Larson (clarinet solo), Lily Kauffman (flute solo), Amy Bartsch (clarinet solo), Kayla Vonk (trumpet solo), Karen Soutthivong (clarinet solo), Liana Blomgren (trombone solo), Sam Grev (French horn solo), Ryan Blomgren (French Horn solo) and Isaac Grev (tuba solo).
SAM GREV, RIGHT, PRESENTED the traditional Scottish song, “Loch Lomond,” arranged by Carl Deis, at Sunday’s Fine Arts Awards Reception. On Saturday, the senior was awarded a Superior rating for his vocal solo. Additional vocalists recognized with Solo/Ensemble Contest Superiors included the vocal duets of Jareya Harder and Lily Kauffman and Chloe Klassen and Kyla Perkins, and the vocal solos of Paton Buller and David Hall.
THE MAJORITY OF the cast (and a couple crew members) from the MLHS 2016 Fall Musical, “You’re A Good Man, Charlie Brown,” reprised the song, “Happiness,” by Clark Gesner, for the reception’s finale. From left, Jareya Harder (Lights), Isaac Grev (Teacher/Chorus), Eli Karschnik (Pig Pen), Regan Syverson (Linus), Liana Blomgren (Snoopy), Sam Grev (Charlie Brown), Ethan Klassen (Sound), Jae Faber (Sally), Olivia Klassen (Woodstock), Jordan Wright (Little Red-Haired Girl) and Amy Bartsch (Lucy).
Mountain Lake Public High School (MLHS) recognized the contributions of the fine arts to a school’s curriculum with a Fine Arts Awards Reception held this afternoon (Sunday, May 7), “backstage” in the school’s auditorium. Honored were students who participated this past school year in vocal and instrumental music, drama and speech – including letter winners, solo and ensemble award recipients, sub-section and section speech participants and this year’s seniors.
