Ten Local Musicians Perform At All Northwest Music Festival

The Music Department at Beaverhead County High School is excited to announce that ten students were accepted into and performed with honor ensembles at the National Association for Music Education’s Northwest Conference in Bellevue, Washington, February 17th and 18th.

Henry Hawes, Euphonium, Aubrey Hawley, Clarinet, Micaiah Kizzar, Euphonium, Sage McKnight, Trumpet and Hunter Wigen, Trombone performed with the Wind Symphony and Hailey Powell, Tuba, performed with the All Northwest Band.

Katie Johnson, Kyra Mitchell and Kaycee Pilon performed with the All Northwest Mixed Choir, and Audrey Zeren performed with the All Northwest Treble Choir.

Students joined over 1000 other outstanding high school student musicians from Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Washington and Wyoming for this gala event.

They rehearsed and performed in concert under the direction of world-renowned conductors. These All-Northwest musicians were selected from nearly 3000 students who auditioned to participate in this outstanding event, which is managed by the Washington Music Educators Association.

Many professional musicians credit their All-Northwest experience as crucial in their decision to choose music as a career. Thousands of others whose career paths took them in different directions have great memories of participating in this inspiring and motivating musical experience and claim that it was a life-changing experience for them.

Well-known Northwesterners who have participated in past years’ All-Northwest groups include trumpeters Doc Severinson and Allen Vizzutti, Pulitzer Prize-winning editorial cartoonist and columnist David Horsey, 2008 National Teacher of the Year Andrea Peterson, and jazz saxophonist Kenny G.

This is the highest honor achievable in Montana high school music and we are so proud of these students! Congratulations to these outstanding musicians on this amazing honor!