Six musicians, three alternates, and the Troubadours qualify for State

Posted March 1, 2022

By Ethan Donahue and Graciela Del Rosario

Staff Editor

Six DDHS musicians, three alternates, and the Troubadours qualified for the State Solo and State Ensemble events at the Oregon Music Educators Association festival on Feb. 26.

Individual district champions senior violinist Kimberly Hoang, senior clarinetist Jasmine Archie, senior trombonist Colton Veltkamp, senior timpanist Denzel Menjivar, and junior orchestral drummer and vibraharpist Andres Pinzon are all going to state competitions. Second place winners junior hornist Olivia Eyestone and senior orchestral drummer Denzel Menjivar are first alternates. Third place winner junior alto singer Lillian Walker will be second alternate. The Troubadours received a superior rating and placed first, giving them an automatic spot in the state ensemble competition.

"These ladies are super dedicated and Troubadours is a 0 period class," said choir director Christopher Silva. "This group has been the state champion at the OMEA state ensemble contest for 5 years running. My goal is of course for them to hold onto that title for a 6th year."

The State Solo and Ensemble events will be held at Pacific University on April 30, 2022.

“The students that qualified individually in their categories will continue to work on their solos independently (they do all of this work outside the rehearsals at school),” said band director Jennifer Brooks. “It's very exciting to see them excel as individuals, it's truly my favorite event of the year.”