Schools honored at jazz festival

Bayard vocal groups won first in Class B in both the swing choir and jazz choir competition, the Gering instrumental jazz ensemble was first in Class A and the Scottsbluff singers swept the two top places among the Class A

The most outstanding vocalist award went to Ryan Holzer of Scottsbluff while Scott Groshans, a trombone player from Gering, received the most outstanding instrumentalist award.

Twenty-five groups from 14 area schools participated in the festival. The chairman of the Music Department at Chadron State, Dr. Sandy Schaefer, said the main objective of the festival is to provide a setting that allows the directors and musicians to hear other groups perform and permits clinicians to critique the performances so everyone involved can grow and improve,

Following are the award recipients at the conclusion of the 2004 High Plains Jazz Festival at Chadron State College on Monday.

Vocal Swing Choirs

Class A—1, Scottsbluff Choralettes, 2, Scottsbluff, 27th Street.

Class B—1, Bayard No. 1, 2, Bayard No. 2.

Class C—1, Sundance, Wyo.; 2, Niobrara County at Lusk, Wyo.

Vocal Jazz Choirs

Class A—1, Chadron.

Class B—1, Bayard.

Class C—1, Guernsey-Sunrise, Wyo.; 2, Sundance.

Instrumental Jazz Ensembles

Class A—1, Gering, 2, Douglas, Wyo.

Class B—1, Chase County High at Imperial.

Class C—1, Sundance, 2, Hershey.

Outstanding vocalists in addition to Holzer were Natalie Gomez, Bayard; Karl Heimbuck, Guernsey-Sunrise; and Lyndi Magana, Jessica Sparks and Andrea Swank, all of Scottsbluff.

Outstanding instrumentalists in addition to Groshans were:

Bridgeport—Rick Post, trumpet.

Gering—Brian Cofer, trombone; Conrad Gachne, bass; Alesa Herbert, alto saxophone; Mike McKee, drums;and Kalen Otte, guiter.

Chase County—Heather Carter, piano; Chris Larson, guitar; Alex Marshall, soprano saxophone; Sean White, trombone.

Douglas, Wyo.—Kayde Covington, trumpet, and Katie Jackson, tenor saxophone.

Gordon—Kelsi Schumacher, flute, and Ashley Young, flute.

Hershey—Whitney Koch, piano; Keith Stoddard, alto saxophone; and Isaac Windham, trombone.

Niobrara County—Kaylee Reed, tenor saxophone.

Sundance, Wyo.—Darcy Lenz, flute; Mary McNally, trombone; and Mikala Myers, clarinet.