Thirteen students and student groups from high schools in the Federal Way Public Schools district – including nine students from Decatur alone – have advanced to the state finals at the State Solo and Ensemble Contest.
The event, sponsored by the Washington Music Educators Associations, will be held at Central Washington University in Ellensburg on April 29-30.
According to WMEA’s website, the state competition “provides the opportunity for the finest of Washington’s high school music students to hear each other in a competitive situation.
From 22 regional contests, the winners in each category move on to the state competition where first, second and third places are selected.”
Decatur music teachers Jeff Chang and Steve Gorringe will be represented by the following students or groups and their instruments:
• April Kim, string bass
• Dayoung Cheong, violin
• Dayoung Cheong and Lyla Klein, violin (duet)
• Nick DeLuca, cello
• Danny Klein, tenor sax
• Decatur Percussion Ensemble
Federal Way High School and music teacher Cory Leppanen will be represented by Angie Kong on the harp.
Three additional students and groups were also named alternates to the event: Decatur’s Lyla Klein on violin and Lynn Kang on flute (both second alternates), the Decatur Brass Quartet (second alternate), Todd Beamer’s Kevin Lee on clarinet (first alternate), Beamer’s Percussion Ensemble (second alternate) and Federal Way High School’s Vocal Ensemble (first alternate).
