EDITOR’S NOTE: The address where the concert will take place has been corrected in this report.
PORT ANGELES — The Northwinds Homeschool Band, fresh from winning awards at the Clark College Jazz Festival, will perform a free concert at 7 p.m. Thursday.
The band will perform at Independent Bible Church, 116. E. Ahlvers Road.
Northwinds Jazz 1 won second place at the Clark College Jazz Festival in Vancouver, Wash., in January.
Clark College has been host to one of the largest jazz festivals in southwest Washington for 54 years and attracts more than 60 middle and high school instrumental jazz ensembles for the three-day competition.
During the day, groups perform to a panel of adjudicators composed of jazz educators and performers. Those invited to the evening finals competition are ranked for first, second, and third place.
Under the direction of Director Dan Tutton, 19 homeschooled youth from Joyce, Sequim and Port Angeles competed in the first round against nine A Division schools from Washington and Oregon.
The jazz band performed “Work Song” arranged by Eric Morales, “Early Blue Evening” by Andy Farber and “Salsa Nights,” a Latin Jazz piece by Pete McGuinness.
In finals, Northwinds Jazz 1 won second place after competing against Creswell and La Center high schools.
Jazz band 1 members
Jazz band 1 members include Clarisse and Sybil Finman on percussion; Jehannah Sollmann on bass; Natalie Luengen on piano; Adam Kennedy, Josef Sollmann, Telecia Busby and Moriah Beglyakov on trumpet; Jared Fodge, Jacob Kennedy, Tehya Busby, Josh Little and Reuben Moon on trombone; Tristan Lowman and Aidan Henninger on tenor sax; Mia Busby, Claire Henninger and Mika Busby on alto sax; and Isaac Moon on baritone sax.
Two students received exceptional musician awards: Adam Kennedy, 15, of Port Angeles for his trumpet solo and Claire Henninger, 15, of Sequim for her alto saxophone solo.
This month, the Northwinds Advanced Band will travel to Ellensburg to participate in Central Washington University’s Wind Fest.
The concert band will fly to Washington, D.C., to participate in another Heritage Festival in spring 2017.
Nonprofit program
Northwinds Homeschool Band is a nonprofit band program that offers musical instruction and development to students from 9 to 19 years of age.
The program has been in existence for 16 years and has trained more than 200 musicians.
The group is composed of six bands: concert, jazz 1, jazz 2, intermediate, advanced and beginning.
The ensemble has performed more than 100 times, locally and nationally.
The band meets twice weekly for practice and offers public concerts semiannually, in addition to attending competitions regularly throughout the year.
As part of their fundraising efforts, band members sell hanging flower baskets annually.
To order, contact Ann Henninger at 360-461-5531 or amhenninger@gmail.com.
For more information about Northwinds, see www.northwindshomeschool.org.
