PORT ANGELES — The Port Angeles High School jazz band placed second at the Lionel Hampton Jazz Festival.
The event this past weekend was at the Lionel Hampton School of Music at the University of Idaho in Moscow, Idaho.
The festival included more than 400 students from high school jazz bands in Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, North Dakota and British Columbia.
In addition to hearing and competing with other bands, the four-day festival offered almost 100 workshops, clinics and special exhibits for attendees.
During the festival, the band performed “Out of the Doghouse” by Erik Morales; “Wave” by Antonio Carlos Jobim, arranged by Michael Philip Mossman; “Stompin’ at the Savoy” by Benny Goodman, arranged by Greg Yasinitsky; and “Listen Up!” by Joe Jackson.
The members of the Port Angeles Jazz Band include Myles Close, Clifford Isaac Hales and Tes Karjalainen on alto saxophone; Michael Aranda, Isaac Lorentzen and Saffron Tschida on tenor saxophone; Allyson Jackson on baritone saxophone; Tallulah Meneely and Jacob Oberly on trumpet; Madi Bishop on clarinet; Bryce Zeeman on soprano saxophone; James Coughran, Noah Oberly, Nicholas Park and Jack Root on low brass; Jordan Saluskin and Elias Schultz on guitar; Robert Starr on vibraphone; Michael Herring and Violet Knobel on piano; Jasper Goodwin-Penic, Mya Hartman, Charlie Kasten and Sawyer Wheeler on bass; and Cyrus Deede, Kedryn DeScala and Isaac Ordona on drums.
“This is an incredible accomplishment for this group,” said Jarrett Hansen, the director of bands at Port Angeles High School. “For a majority of musicians in this group, this is only their second jazz competition and their first year in the jazz portion of our program.”
The jazz band will perform at the Juan de Fuca Festival for the Arts from May 23-25 and at the Port Angeles Maritime Festival on June 7-8.