THE HOCKINSON HIGH SCHOOL band recently took home top honors during a stretch of competitions, including the University of Portland Jazz Festival and the Columbia Basin College Band Festival.
THE HOCKINSON HIGH SCHOOL band took home several top honors during different competitions on April 14, 15 and 16.
THIS TROPHY WAS presented to the Hockinson High School band for second place in the AA Division, Jazz Band, at the Columbia Basin College Band Festival.
The Hockinson High School band impressed many in a three-day stretch of competitions recently, taking home top honors.
The accolades began with a visit to the University of Portland Jazz Festival on April 14, where Hockinson was rewarded with first place in the Division II competition. The achievement is especially noteworthy due to the band moving up to a division meant for larger schools — the enrollment criteria is 850-1,199 students for Division II, while Hockinson’s enrollment numbers range around 700 students.
The band also scored first place marks in Division II sight-reading at the festival.
“I’m very proud of the way our students not only performed, but also represented our school and community,” Hockinson High School Band Director Corey McEnry said. “Numerous judges and even other bands were impressed not just with our ability, but also with our professionalism and respect for other band programs.”
The group then traveled to the Columbia Basin College Band Festival in Pasco on April 15 and competed through the following day. This time, it was the wind ensemble capturing the top spot, earning a gold medal in the AA Division of competition.
The second day at Columbia Basin also came with its rewards, as the Hockinson program won an Outstanding Instrumental Music Program Award. The jazz band nabbed second place in the AA Division and both the saxophone and trumpet sections earned best in their section in the A/AA Division to round out the large group awards.
“While just about nobody at either of these festivals had any idea where Hockinson High School and Brush Prairie, Washington, were going into these events, they all did by the time they left,” McEnry said.
Small groups and soloists from the Hockinson High School band racked up numerous achievements at both events, as well. The full results from the three days of music are below.
Thursday, April 14: University of Portland Jazz Festival
First Place, Division II
First Place, Sight-reading, Division II
Outstanding Soloist: Dennis Baciuc, trumpet
Outstanding Soloist: Alexander Lee, alto saxophone
Best Soloist, Division II: Dennis Baciuc, trumpet
Friday, April 15: Columbia Basin College Band Festival
Gold Medal, AA Division, Wind Ensemble
Outstanding Soloist: Shannon Dally, oboe
Outstanding Soloist: Vanessa Heller, French horn
Outstanding Tuba Section: Drew Henderson and Will Gaines
Saturday, April 16: Columbia Basin College Band Festival
Outstanding Instrumental Music Program Award
Second Place, AA Division, Jazz Band
Outstanding Soloist: Dennis Baciuc, trumpet
Outstanding Soloist: Will Gaines, baritone saxophone
Outstanding Soloist: Alexander Lee, alto saxophone
Best Saxophone Section A/AA Division: Alexander Lee, Olivia Gaines, Jesse Smith, Jack Broer, Will Gaines
Best Trumpet Section A/AA Division: Dennis Baciuc, Dana Robertson, Alex Ulman, Bret Morris, Julia Zora
