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Five make first chairs
On December 9, North Lamar High School freshman band students competed against others from 5A schools to earn 20 places in the Region 4 Freshman All-Region Band. Five of the North Lamar students made first chairs. They are Kenzie Pence on oboe, DaQaveous Mason on bass clarinet, Cooper Moore on bass trombone, Tralyn Tennon on euphonium and Caleb McGill on tuba.
“This is like an All-District team for a band,” said Associate Band Director Jason R. Smith. “All the students competing have the same music to prepare and perform for a blind judging panel. Out of the 72 spots in the band, North Lamar earned 20 of them, more than any of the other schools competing with five of them being first chair honors (the best on their instrument) in the band.”
In addition to the five who made first chairs, others named to the Freshman All-Region Band are Jamie Bolton on flute; Hannah Chennault, Rachael Laughlin, Connie Jackson and Alaina Gentry-Hartgroves on clarinet; Tyler Nutt on alto saxophone; Hannah Kent, Dalton Echols and Emily McMellon on trumpet; Jackson Allison and Payten Kennedy on French horn; Garrett Russell on tenor trombone; Jonathan Dominguez on tuba; and Harrison Elam and Rebecca Dueck on percussion.
“There were nine schools competing and to see our students do this well was very exciting,” said Marcus Lutz, NLHS percussion teacher.
The ninth-grade all-region band will rehearse Saturday, December 14 at Paris High School and will perform a concert at 5:00 p.m. that evening at Paris Junior High Auditorium. The concert is free and open to the public. The conductor will be Brent Farmer from Kilgore College.