Mountain View — Mountain View High School bands participated in the Columbia Basin College Concert Band Festival and Jazz Unlimited Competition in Pasco on April 15-16.
The wind ensemble received gold ratings in the 4A division, and the symphonic band rated gold in the 3A division.
Sean Furcron, Sierra Hawthorne, Jack Wang and Mark Williams received excellent soloist recognition for concert band. The Jazz 1 band took first in the 4A division.
Ted Davis, Sean Furcron and Chris Gaylor received excellent soloist recognition in the Jazz Unlimited Festival. Mountain View was also selected for the Overall Best Band Program award.
Because of budget cuts to the music department, the 240 students paid nearly all of their trip expenses including transportation, meals and lodging.
“Playing in the band is a huge obligation,” said Ted Davis, graduating Mountain View senior. “To have a year’s worth of time investment … rewarded with the high honors given at the CBC competition is satisfaction beyond belief and well worth the time commitment.”
The Mountain View High School Jazz Ensemble has been invited by audition to perform at the 65th-annual Midwest Clinic in Chicago in December. This is only the second time in 65 years that a jazz ensemble from Washington has been invited to perform at the clinic.
The Mountain View band program is under the direction of Eric Smedsrud and Sam Ormson.
