Medical Lake band and choir students advance to state

The Medical Lake High School band and choir programs came off a successful solo/ensemble festival Feb. 7 with 10 students winning first place in several categories. These musicians will perform at the WIAA/Washington Music Educators Association state solo/ensemble festival in Ellensburg in April.

Medical Lake band director Craig Johnson and choir director Heidi Petersen were thrilled to see so many of their students advance to state-level competition.

“They were going up against students from 3A schools,” Johnson said. “Being from a smaller school they were kind of the underdogs.”

Stephanie Burris earned her fourth consecutive state trip after she once again placed first in the clarinet category.

“It was really great to see the payoff from all of the hard work I put in,” Burris said.

Burris isn’t the only solo instrument performer going on to state as Nick Isherwood won the guitar division for the second year. Emilie Browning finished second in the alto saxophone division while Sofia Novocheckhova placed third in the flute category.

In band ensembles, Burris, along with Emma Ransom, Ivie Fleur Rabon and Alexis Rolan — collectively known as the Cardinal Clarinet Quintet — finished second out of 26 groups in the small woodwind ensembles. The ML Flute Trio — comprised of Novocheckhova, Jeremy Ryan and Mikayla McCoy — took third in the same category.

As for choir, Rayann McIntyre won the alto division while Jasmin Pacheco came in second in the soprano category. McIntyre competed in the previous year’s competition, which she said was a learning experience for her.

“Now that I’m going to state I feel like I can do anything I set my mind to,” McIntyre said.

Three choir ensembles advanced to state. Novocheckhova and Pacheco won the small women’s vocal division. Skyler Watchel, Chris Keister, Brenden Satcher and Shay McIntyre finished first in the men’s ensemble division. Watchel, Rayann and Shay McIntyre and Madison Pearson took the top spot in the small mixed vocal ensemble division.

Al Stover can be reached at [email protected].