Edmond Memorial High School’s orchestra recently competed at state competition on April 16-18. After competing at the Oklahoma Secondary School Activities Association district solo and ensemble contest at Santa Fe High School, the EMHS Bulldog Orchestra had OSSAA state solo and ensemble contest in Stillwater. Although the student instrumentalists generally perform together, they all practiced in either small groups or by themselves, with some guidance from their director, David Koehn.
“Everyone that went did extremely well, and I am very proud of their work and performances,” David said. “There are always ways that we could do things differently or better, but I know that they did their best in the moment, and that is all I could ask for.”
Everyone who went to the state competition had to first receive top scores at district solo and ensemble. With this in mind, the instrumentalists worked hard and devoted as much time as they could to better themselves. The solos and ensembles are rated on a scale from one to three, with one being the best score possible. Senior Addison Dry performed in a couple of ensembles as a violin player.
“I feel lifted,” Dry said. “I feel very happy . . . I was in ensembles, so it wasn’t that difficult to get one’s, but I’m still happy that I went. I’m thankful.”
Although the performance of a solo just means that the performer picks a piece of music to play alone, many pieces could be performed, often unique to each instrument as well. However, the ensembles can range from a duet to a decent-sized group, as well as ranging from complicated and intricate to a group of all the same instrument. Junior Abby Koehn performed as a solo instrumentalist and participated in some ensembles as a bass player.
“At state, I did really well,” Abby said. “I had my solo, which got a one . . . I was also in three other ensembles that all got one’s. [One was] the bass ensemble, which had seven basses playing together. [Another was a] large ensemble that had around 15 people. Lastly, I had a duet with Greyson Alexander.”
These performances clearly impressed the judges as a perfect display of their talents. Next year, orchestra students plan to continue to impress everyone as much as they have this year.
“My students did all I asked of them, and I am looking forward to finishing the year strong with our concert on May 14,” David said.
All in all, the students did their best and have represented not only the Bulldog Orchestra well, but the entirety of Memorial. The scores they received show the talent that the state competitors have, as well as the dedication and love they have for music. Anyone who wishes to go to the orchestra concert can see a display of their talents at the EMHS auditorium on May 14 at 6:30 p.m.
Contact Esther Wood at [email protected]
