Merrill students shine at District Solo-Ensemble
Months of preparation came together this past weekend for musicians all across Central Wisconsin during District Solo-Ensemble. Students from Merrill, Rhinelander, Antigo and other local schools put on hundreds of performances throughout the high school on Saturday.
Solo-Ensemble gives students an opportunity to perform in small or large groups and be judged and rated based on skill level and difficulty of song selection. This also gives many students a chance to sing or play as a small group or solo that they can’t otherwise find throughout the concert season. Many Merrill students performed in this occasion, as we had over 50 events just from our high school.
Overall, Merrill students did extremely well. Events are broken up into categories based on difficulty, with C being the easiest and A being the most difficult. From there they are given a rating (1-5) with 1 being the best result. If students score well enough, they are given the opportunity to perform at state solo-ensemble at UW-Stevens Point the first Saturday in May. Merrill results broke down as follows:
Class C: 2 events – Both received a 1 rating.
Class B: 18 vocal events, 5 instrumental events – Six received a 2 rating, 17 received a 1 rating.
Class A: 16 vocal events, 17 instrumental events – Six received a 2 rating, six received a 1 rating, and 21 received a *1 rating.
Events receiving a *1 and performing at state solo-ensemble at UW Stevens Point in May: Piano Solo, Abrahm Akey (2), Rylee Mracheck; Woodwind Ensemble; Double Reed Trio; French Horn Quartet; Saxophone Quartet; Clarinet Duet; Parade Drum, Molly Seidler; Soprano Solo, Sophia Schroeder, Ashlin Berry, Eliana Emmer, Emily Toth, Jayda Bushor; Alto Solo, Reese Mrachek, Bailey Iwen; Baritone Solo, Mark Thompson, Abrahm Akey; Musical Theatre, Abrahm Akey, Mark Thompson, Jayda Bushor.