More than 100 selected high school students performed during Northeast Community College HAWKFEST.
The annual honor band and honor choir festival in the Lifelong Learning Center on Monday, October 6, culminated in the evening with the students performing a concert. Students audition for the event, which includes an intense day of rehearsal culminating in the concert.
The honor choir performed several selections, including a traditional Lakota lullaby.
“A goal of the festival is to provide not only growth of the students’ musicianship, but to become aware of the rich heritage of cultural ideas embedded in the variety of musical literature,” said Margaret Schultz, Choir director. “Chante Waste Hoksila is such a piece, in that the students (performed) in the Lakota language. Lakota is focused on community and an acknowledgement of neighbors and family members. It is dedicated to the victims of the Robb Elementary School mass shooting.”
The honor band also performed several selections that included a descriptive piece about an incident during World War II. The final selection of the evening featured the Choir, Band, and the directors performing Thank You Soldiers together.
“I think it’s great to get these young musicians together,” said Kevin McLouth, Band director. “Usually they are ‘rivals’ from different schools, but here they get to work together to make something beautiful.”
This year’s selected high school students were
Honor Choir
Soprano
Battle Creek -- Piper Rivest, Ella Allen.
Bloomfield -- Myranda Eckman, Sydney Hochstein.
Cody-Kilgore -- Addysen Hawthorne
Elkhorn Valley -- Ireyln Bearinger, McKenzie Lewis, Delilah Qualset (All State 2024).
Hartington-Newcastle -- Autumn Anderson.
Madison -- Samantha Montes.
Neligh Oakdale -- Lucielle Koinzan.
O'Neill -- Emily Sholes, Addysen Hilger, Emma Bowder.
Plainview -- Katherine Enriquez, Anika Robinson, Meleah Buck.
Shelby-Rising City -- Paxton Cromer
Stanton -- Chelsea Kment.
Wausa -- Noel Kumm.
Alto
Battle Creek -- Presley Wolf, Jaelynn Wilken, Addyson Carstens.
Bloomfield -- Gracie Zeber.
Boone Central -- Azriel Uhrenholdt, Evelyne Schaefer, Vivian Carnley, Leialoha Barnes.
Cody-Kilgore -- Madysen Leithead.
Neligh-Oakdale -- Addy Jacob.
O'Neill -- Mayan Ochidi, Karlee Seger.
Pierce -- Addison Frye, Brianna Rundell.
Shelby-Rising City -- Nevaeh Martinez.
Wausa -- Ainsley Dawson.
Winside -- Alea Bilstein.
Tenor
Battle Creek -- Michael Maughan.
Bloomfield -- Jase Gerdes
Spencer -- Spencer Sindt.
Plainview -- Dominic White.
Stanton -- Sam Jessen.
Wausa -- Alijah Nelson, Braydon Hoesing, Vayden Wattier, Brady Kristensen.
Bass
Battle Creek -- Rowan Volquardsen, Tristan Ray.
Boone Central -- Philip Carnley, Riley Lordemann.
Elkhorn Valley -- Evan Decker.
Hartington-Newcastle -- Cel Martell, Kyptin Collier.
Madison -- Reynaldo Cienfuegos.
Neligh-Oakdale -- Alex Perez.
Plainview -- Bernando Camacho, Aiden Hamilton.
Shelby-Rising -- Urijah Grant, Kasey Fischbach.
Stanton -- Noah Schmidt.
Wausa -- Rogan Hoesing.
Honor Band
Flute
Battle Creek -- Aspen Greve.
Boone Central -- Eloise Martinez.
Plainview -- Landon Hergert, Scarlet Torrey.
Ponca -- Lilly Egdorf.
Stanton -- Lillian Jessen.
Twin River -- Ava Martinez.
Winside -- Emily Lubberstedt.
Clarinet
Elkhorn Valley -- Ocean Liester.
O'Neill -- Celia Mott, Riley Roessler, Hailey Romesser.
Pender -- Ariel Falcon.
Pierce -- Lillian Blank.
Ponca -- Avery Schamp.
Stanton -- Abail Michaels.
Bass Clarinet
O'Neill -- Kaitlyn Hinrichs.
Alto Saxophone
Madison -- Jonny Hinkel.
Shelby-Rising City -- Jessica Bauers.
Bari Sax
Osmond -- Dawson Gansebom
Tenor Saxophone
Pender -- Hope Springer.
Trumpet
Battle Creek -- Braxton Merlenbach.
Boone Central -- Jacob Smith.
David City Aquinas -- Sylvia Piitz.
O'Neill -- Alex Otte.
Osmond -- Kooper Gubbels, Donovan Heiman.
Plainview -- Lucea Miller.
Winside -- Shawn Thompson.
Horn
Lincoln Standing Bear -- Hannah Baker.
Pierce -- Carter Sindt.
Trombone
Battle Creek -- Kolby Kummer.
Osmond -- Jack Berg.
Plainview -- Bastion Curtis.
Ponca -- Timothy Ney.
Wakefield -- Nate Johnson.
Euphonium
Elkhorn Valley -- Elizabeth Kivett.
Tuba
Battle Creek -- Asher Carter.
Madison -- Sahori Saguilan.
Neligh-Oakdale -- Grayson Kight.
Pierce -- Keaton Vavra.
Ponca -- Michael Ney.
Mallets/snare
Home School -- Bobby Adeline.
Snare & Timpani
Battle Creek -- Cody Renner.
Pierce -- Carson Fevold.
Winside -- Noah Pace.
HAWKFEST Choir
Margaret Schultz, HAWKFEST Choir director, instructs the Honor Choir at the concert on Monday, October 6. (Northeast Community College)
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