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Ottawa Township High School musicians preparing for ILMEA District festivals · Illinois Valley - Shaw Local

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  Ottawa Township High School musicians preparing for Olmea District Festivals. Written by
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  Matthias Warner This article is being read by an automated voice brought
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  to you by Everlet. Hard work and dedication from musicians at Ottawa
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  Township High School will soon be realized on a state-wide platform.
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  Sixteen band and 10 choir students from Ottawa have been selected to
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  participate in the 2026 Illinois Music Education Association District 2 Band, Chorus,
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  and Jazz festivals, according to a news release from the school.
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  It’s a big deal to be chosen, but it’s also a really
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  meaningful performance opportunity for the students that invest a lot into choir
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  and band, OTHS Choir Director Ali Stachowicz said. Suddenly they’re going from
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  singing in a choir of 20 to a choir of 200, and
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  all of the people they’re singing with are leaders in their own
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  programs.
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  According to the release, weeks of individual preparation culminate in a day-long
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  festival of rehearsals with a guest conductor, followed by a concert.
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  I always leave the ILMEA District Festival feeling incredibly inspired by the
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  music that is made that day, and super proud of how many
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  students who are leaders, and who care deeply about music education, come
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  from Ottawa Township High School, Stachowicz said.
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  For junior Leah Ferrantino, this year marks her first audition and her
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  first selection.
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  Honestly, I’m super excited. I’ve never been so thrilled about something before,
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  Ferrantino said. I went back and looked at some of the recordings
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  from past competitions, and it looks like a really great time.
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  Senior Maggie Wiegman, who is heading to her third District festival according
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  to the release, explained that students prepare for the recorded audition on
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  their own time.
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  You prepare by completing an audition based on pieces selected, and you
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  have to record them. When you make it into this event, I
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  think you’ve already found success, Wiegman said. The success this weekend is
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  going and doing the best that you can and having a good
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  time.
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  Senior Shelby Domoleczny, who qualified for the fourth time in her career,
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  shed some light on how the process feels for the students.
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  It’s tough because it is a recorded audition, so you do tend
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  to get in your own head, Domoleczny said. You just have to
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  remember that it’s not going to be perfect, and you just have
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  to get as close as you can and be as happy as
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  you can be with your audition.
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  Freshman baritone saxophone player Mady Govero, who also qualified for District in
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  middle school, has been working on her audition music since receiving it
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  last May.
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  I’m excited because it’s hard making it as a freshman, Govero said.
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  I’m excited about playing the more difficult music and seeing the change
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  from the middle school bands.
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  Sophomore trumpet player Micah Stanek earned his first trip to the festival
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  after missing the cut a year ago.
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  This year I wanted to do better, Stanek said. I want to
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  be able to say that I’ve made District and that I can
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  play that level of music. Practice pays off.
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  Senior flutist Hallee Loza is making her fourth District appearance.
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  You get placed on how you play, and it’s really different from
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  just being in a town band, Loza said. You get to be
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  with people who are near your level of experience, and it’s really
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  nice to meet new people and see how much you have in
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  common with everyone.
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  Loza’s advice for first-timers like Govero and Stanek is to just have
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  fun.
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  It’s a pretty rare opportunity for people in a smaller school to
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  be able to sing in such a large choir with so many
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  talented people, Domoleczny said. It’s always a little bit jarring to hear
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  because we’re so used to such a small group.
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  Senior Marylou McCain, who qualified for both the Senior Chorus and Vocal
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  Jazz I, is attending her third District festival.
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  When there’s a group of over 100 people, and you’re all singing
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  together, and you’re all there for the same reason, it’s really fun,
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  McCain said.
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  Vocal jazz, she said, offers a more intimate experience with about 20
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  singers, including exercises in scatting and singing in front of one another.
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  Every time I go there, I think, I never thought I’d be
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  here. I’m definitely going to miss it once I graduate, McCain said.
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  According to the release, the following Ottawa musicians head to Augustana College
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  on Saturday, Nov. 7, in Rock Island, Ill. For the ILMEA District
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  2 Band and Chorus Festival:
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  Senior Band
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  Atlas Brown, Aries Brown, Emersen Buck, Amy Budnick, Zelda Dubois, Landon Fritz,
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  Mady Govero, Margaret Jones, Hallee Loza, Eduardo Navarro, Logan Olson, Zadie Ortiz,
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  Olivia Power, Dylan Sovero, Micah Stanek and Emma Treest.
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  Senior Chorus
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  Arden Cechowicz, Shelby Domoleczny, Leah Ferrantino, Jeremiah Graman, Abby Halsey, Louisa Jeppson,
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  Marylou McCain, Valentine Ratliff, Mickey Tobias and Maggie Wiegman.
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  According to the release, the following students are heading to Galesburg Junior
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  Senior High School on Saturday, Nov. 21, in Galesburg, Ill. For the
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  ILMEA District Jazz Festival:
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  Vocal Jazz
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  Marylou McCain Vocal Jazz I.