Pierce High Students Play in UNK Honor Band
Launch the media gallery 1 playerby Katrina Meier
Fourteen members of the Pierce High band traveled to the University of Kearney on Monday, January 23, for the annual UNK Festival and Honor Bands.
The honor band had eight members from Pierce: Janae Arens (flute), Katrina Meier (oboe), Amber Albrecht (clarinet), Devin Kerber (baritone saxophone), Abbey Sedlacek (trumpet), Junior Aguilar (trombone), Derek Ross (percussion), and Rachel Fenton (percussion).
The festival band had six members: Stephanie Rinkel (clarinet), Kiley Bierman (clarinet), Alex Kesting (alto saxophone), Justin Larson (tenor saxophone), Macie Timm (trombone), and Matt Williams (percussion).
The audition process was tough, with the instrumentalists competing for spots with students from over 114 high schools in the Kansas and Nebraska area. The audition tape that the applicants sent in consisted of one chromatic scale and two etudes. Once they arrived, the students practiced for almost six hours and performed a concert of the songs they’d worked on.
The honor band was directed by Frank Tracz, the professor of music and director of bands at Kansas State University, and played “New Era Fanfare,” “Horkstow Grange,” “Sun Cycles,” “Drive.”
The festival band was directed by Duane Bierman, associate professor of music and director of bands at UNK, and played “Spania,” “Mystic Chant,” “Bonsai Tree,” “Crossfire.”
Director of bands at Pierce Public Schools, Michael Sindt, said, “This is the most students we’ve had make UNK Honor Band, ever. They represented our school and community well.”
