About 1,500 high school musicians recently participated in the District 1 Music Festival hosted by Flathead and Glacier high schools.  

Forty bands, orchestras and choirs from nine schools performed April 10 and 11. Solos and ensembles performed April 11 and 12.  

Judges rated each entry as either superior, excellent, good, fair or poor.  Solos and ensembles receiving superior ratings qualified to attend the State Solo and Ensemble Festival in Helena on May 2-3. 

The following Columbia Falls High School students were winners:

• Superior performance and sight reading: Wind Ensemble, Symphonic Band, Columbia Chorale, Sonifers

• Excellent performance and superior sight reading: Tres Belles, Cantilena, Troubadours and String Orchestra

• Superior jazz performance: Columbians

• Superior band ensembles: Percussion Ensemble (Carlee Brown, Quentin Foust, Ally Gimbel, Haley Greene, Dillon Hoerner, Arlyn Jorgenson, Karyssa Nelson, Mackenzie Pieper, Kodi Pletcher, Heaven Putnam, Zach Ronish, Mike Sandefer, Daniel Skinner and Cooper Wendt); Flute Choir (Emily Calderwood, Bryce Swanson, Cassidi Bowman, LeRoy Thompson and Katelyn Kienas); Freshman Brass Sextet (Paxton Fisher, Jayden Wirkus, Zac Karlin, Ryan Kjensrud, Danny Morgan and Brandon Karberg)

• Excellent ensembles: Jazz Factory, Double Reed Quartet (Colter Norick, Olivia Ramstad, Ali Gould and Mikel Knutson); Percussion Tech (Daniel Batt, Jordan Chastain, Mason Fetters, Caleb Fleury, Allie Folks, Zain Glass, Shania Hay, Nic Ronish and Patrick Tilman); bassoon duet, Colter Norick and Mikel Knutson; snare duet, Mason Fetters and Nic Ronish

• Superior band solo: Bryce Swanson, flute

• Excellent band solos: Kaylee Flanigan, flute; Jonah Smith, French horn; Andrea Getts, tuba; Mike Sandefer, snare drum

• Superior choir: Columbia Chorale, Sonifers

• Superior vocal solos: Kendra Skelton, Bryan Shaffer, Jared Reynolds, Estevon Torres, Kendra Stevens, Dallas Shupert, Micah Sperry, Mara Barnes, Meredith Stolte, Bailey Duke, Amanda Morrison, Lottie Ellis and Kelcie Christenson

• Excellent vocal solos: Hunter Brown, Skye Hatfield, Lou Carr, Samantha Nelson, Brianna Kirby, Hannah Gustin, Danielle Thomason and Daisyjane Johnson