Wrangell students share in learning opportunity at Music Fest

There can be a lot of numbers in music. This is the 50th year of the Southeast Honor Music Festival and Tasha Morse's 17th year as Wrangell music teacher. More than 110 students from around Southeast spent 19 hours in full rehearsals at Music Fest.

Three Wrangell students were selected for the event held Oct. 20-22 in Petersburg. All had to audition to win a spot, Morse explained.

There is no judging at the annual fall event. "This one is just making music for music's sake," she said.

Wrangell's Ander and Clara Edens were selected for the Honor Fest choir, with Andrei Bardin-Siekawitch named to the band. Clara Edens sings alto and Ander Edens sings bass. Bardin-Siekawitch plays the alto saxophone.

They are among the eight or nine students in Morse's high school band class and 21 in the choir program comprised of high school and middle school students, the teacher said.

Music Fest gives students an opportunity to learn from guest conductors brought to Alaska for the event. "We bring in experts in our field ... to see how they do things differently than we do," Morse said. "I learn as much as the kids do."

Southeast music teachers select participants in September, giving students a month to work on the selections they will perform.

This year's guest directors were Kym Scott, director of choral activities at West Virginia University, and Edward F. Protzman, director of bands and assistant professor of music education at Portland State University.

On the last day of Music Fest, the choir performed "Cantate Domino," by Jonathon P. White; "All of Me" (from "A Vision Unfolding"), by Kyle Pederson; "Both Sides Now," by Joni Mitchell; and "By Night," by Elaine Hagenberg.

The band performed "Golden Jubilee," by John Philip Sousa, arranged by Fredrick Fennell; "Bock Fanfares," Jess Langston Turner; "Solace Dance," Nicole Piunno; "Stillwater," Kelijah Dunton; and "Illumination: Overture for Band," David Maslanka.