Five NDA musicians have earned the opportunity to perform at the State Solo & Ensemble Festival on May 2 held at the University of Wisconsin- Green Bay.
Students Grace Goh (voice), Ben Burgess (piano), Tegan Arndt (voice), Ava Murphy (voice) and Julian Sciuluffo (viola) qualified for the prestigious event after receiving a top number 1 rating at the district level.
NDA students competed at both Preble High School and Pulaski High School during the district festival, where their performances were evaluated by adjudicators.
The State Solo & Ensemble Festival brings together top performing students from across Northern, Northeast and East Central Wisconsin, making it a highly competitive and selective event.
“Only students who earn the highest ratings at districts are invited to advance,” said band director Steve Johnson.
At the festival, participants perform prepared solo or ensemble pieces and are judged across a range of mystical elements, including tone quality, note accuracy, technique, expression and interpretation.
“Criteria may vary depending on the type of performance, such as vocal, instrumental or piano,” explained Johnson.
For one performer, senior Grace Goh, the upcoming festival is the culmination of a dream that started in fifth grade when her teacher explained to her how “only a class A song scoring a 1* qualified for state.”
“I knew right then that it was something I wanted to do,” explained Goh. “I worked at it, and each year I competed I would move up one class. Last year I finally competed a class A solo, but I only scored a 1 without a star. I missed out on qualifying for state by a single point. I spent this past year applying all the corrections and fixing the critiques the judge gave me last year. Finally making it this year felt extra special because now I know that all that work has paid off.”
The senior will be performing two different pieces.
Johnson, who will accompany the students to the event, brings years of musical experience to the program.
He began his musical journey in fifth grade at Lannoye Elementary School, initially playing the cornet.
Over time, he expanded his expertise to include saxophone, flute and clarinet, along with experience in various other wind and percussion instruments.
The State Solo & Ensemble Festival provides students with the opportunity not only to showcase their musical abilities but also to receive detailed feedback from professional judges and grow as performers.
