Cape district students selected for all state band, choir
Cape Henlopen School District musicians and singers took a number of positions on the all state county and choir rosters, with concerts set for February and March.
Cape High
Cape High students took nine of the 21 spots available on the All State Jazz Band, said Cape Band Director Chris Burkhart. Amanda Bickel, Gavin Carlisle, Sara Dawson, Amelia Phelps, Will Runde, CJ Schaffer and Christian Watland earned positions, and Conor Wiedmann earned bass trombone and bass seats.
Bickel, Schaffer and Wiedmann also made the All State Senior Band roster, which includes classmates Katie Costello, Anna Coverdale, Aidan Hudson, Jacob McLean and Victoria Vincent. Hudson, Bickel, Schaffer and Coverdale also made the All State Orchestra.
Weston Bohl, Carlisle, Will Runde and Brando Vail-Velasquez were named to the All State Junior Band, which is for students in grades seven through nine.
The All State Jazz Festival will be held from Feb. 8-10, the All State Orchestra Festival will be held from March 7-9, and the All State Band Festival takes place from March 21-23.
Cape High students also took 15 of the All State Choir positions, said Choir Director Marian Sunnergren.
Students are Ulena Ziv Bartolin, Haydn Carter-Hanson, Emily Groll, Marley Fyock, Victoria Vincent, Brianna Burrell, Samuel Mincey, Ariadna Kass Guzman-Martinez, Christopher Runde, Conor Wiedmann, Christian Watland, Kayla Sponaugle, Dylenn Enright, Julia Burrell and Julia Logue.
The All State Senior Choir Festival will be held from Feb. 22-24 at Cape High, Sunnergren said, and the junior choir and senior choir concerts will take place at Cape High Feb. 24.
All concert and ticket sale information can be found on the Delaware Music Educator website at delawareMEA.org. Tickets must be purchased in advance and will not be sold at the door.
Beacon
At Beacon Middle, students Daniel Cunningham, Jade Coulter, Katie Curry, Naomi Vidal, Tina Turi, Annabelle Mumford, Alexandra Grayson and Erica Song Hippolyte made All State Junior Choir, which will hold its concert at Cape High at 4 p.m., Saturday, Feb. 24, said Choir Director Juleeann Schlitter.
Bass player Addison Manley competed with high school students to earn her spot on the All State Orchestra, said Band Director Robert Barbarita. Making the All State Junior Band are Zaydin Hutchinson, tuba; Kellan Leposki, mallets; Jude Peacock, trombone; Ava Hoang, flute; Sam Kardas, percussion; and Ryan Day, trumpet.
Mariner
At Mariner Middle, seventh-graders Owen Barron, Evangeline Bickel and Kaylee Stetler along with eighth-graders Baylie Anderson and Audrey Winner were named to the All State Junior Choir.
Choir Director Kaitlin Kresse said the nomination-based County Choir was held in November. Mariner students who participated in that festival include all-state students as well as seventh-grader Zoe Wells and eighth graders Aja Aman, Phalin Flynn, Jillian Gallagher, Cullen McKay, James Swatski and Samantha Whitby.
Eighth-graders Nick Stangl and Sadie Wakefield earned All State Junior Band honors through live auditions, with French hornist Sadie making first chair, said Band Director Brian Mahoney.
All county auditions are coming up, Mahoney said, and Mariner also has jazz and spring concerts planned.
“These two will be performing a lot,” Mahoney said, noting that the number of students participating in band is nearing pre-pandemic levels.
