About 40 McClintock student musicians traveled to Sierra Linda High School to participate in the annual Regionals auditions on Jan. 22nd and 23rd.

Regionals is a competition where musicians prove their worth to a judge for a chance to seat in the regional band, orchestra, or choir ensemble composed of the area’s finest performers.

“It is a big deal to participate in the regional ensembles…and it’s a very rigorous audition and very competitive,” Orchestra instructor Doreen Press said, for excelling in the regionals would make one eligible to play with the top performers at the Regional Festival hosted by McClintock on Feb. 19 and 20.

Should the students pass the auditions, not only do the students get statewide recognition, but they also get exposed to a different musical environment.

“They gain a whole new experience, they have a new conductor, they get to hear how that conductor interprets music and performs music, and they learn pieces that are beyond what they usually play at school,” Press said.

For sophomore orchestra student Rowen Theilmann, however, the experience is so much more than a new conductor and music.

“It’s a chance to play with a lot of other people who are working really hard in high school, the top students,” Theilmann said.

It is simply being in a room full of other talented musicians that makes students, like Theilmann, feel accomplished.

For other students, like junior choir student Shaul Leket-Mor, competing at regionals and ultimately scoring a seat in the Regionals Choir ensemble is a resumé-filler that is sure to liven up one’s college application.

“I want to study vocal performance in college so it’s something I want to do for a living, and it’s really important for me,” Leket-Mor said.

Preparing for Regionals requires the utmost attention and practice.

“Music isn’t just something you simply want. It isn’t something you just pick up…You have to work at it a lot. And when  you start working at it, you really start to appreciate,” Theilmann said.

For other aspiring musicians, though, confidence is the ultimate key to success.

“If you have confidence, you can back up your singing with breath support, you’re not shaky with any tones, and you sing with more accuracy,” Leket-Mor said.

Thus with enough confidence and enough practice, though, the stresses of the performance can be easily honed into positive energy.

“Because I have auditioned before, I’m quite used to the process, and I’m not that scared of it,” Leket-Mor said, “but if you don’t have that anxiety, if you don’t have that stress, then you wouldn’t perform as well.”

The real key to achieve overall greatness, however, the key to reaching goals far beyond regionals, does not involve solely hard work and self-assurance; the true key lies in one’s genuine love for music.

“Singing with a choir is like singing with a giant family, you feel important and you feel connected with everyone you are harmonizing with,” Leket-Mor said.

For all those musicians competing at Regionals, they hold Shakespeare’s timeless aphorism to heart: “If music be the food of love, play on”.

Below are the following that made it to regionals:

Southwest Regional Orchestra Members

Ahmet Yildrim- Violin 1

Samatha Castro- Violin 1

Tianna Baker- Violin 1

Ana Rodriguez Caro- Violin 2

Rowan Thielmann- Cello

Ikumi Ellis- Bass

Zac Nye- Trombone

Marisa Ferriera- Viola alternate

Cassie Moore- Cello Alternate

Southwest Regional Band Members
Eli Botham- Trumpet

Amber Faizi- Flute

Bansri Doshi- Flute

Jason Knorr- Horn

Casey Patterson- Trumpet

Ashley Osborne- Clarinet

Southwest Regional Choir Members

Ashley Jones- Soprano

Erin Granillo Walker- Soprano

Skaya Penneau Tbakhi- Soprano

Emily Wescott- Soprano

Madelyn Kartchner- Alto

Roomie Wood- Alto

Chris Wiltbank- Tenor

Damon Helton- Tenor

Ronnie Torres- Tenor

MJ Ontiveros- Tenor

Carlos Stinson Mass- Tenor

Louie Pratt- Tenor

Shaul Leket Mor- Bass

Asa Andreas- Bass

Ben Pope- Bass

Owen Andreasen- Bass

Devan Walter- Tenor Alternate

Nathan Krueger- Bass Alternate