Honor Music Students at AMIS, in The Hague, Netherlands

Tim Willson, MS/HS Instrumental Music Teacher

TAISM HS Music Students Selected for International Honor Band, Choir and Orchestra

Fourteen very satisfied TAISM students celebrated three days of intense music making at the Association of Music in International Schools (AMIS) Honor Band and Choir Concert on March 19, 2011 held at the American School of The Hague in the Netherlands. These fourteen students competed last October through blind auditions for their positions in the ensembles. Students from international schools throughout Asia, Europe, the Middle East, South America, and Africa were involved in these very competitive auditions and attended from as far afield as San Paolo, Brazil, and Tokyo, Japan. TAISM’s group of fourteen was the second largest contingency at the Festival and we competed for positions with many schools that had a school population three and four times larger than ours. The Honor Band was made up of 85 students and the Honor Choir was 143 voices strong. The Band was led by Dr. Jerry Luckhardt, conductor of the University of Minnesota Bands, and the Choir Director was Dr. Andre Thomas from Florida State University. These wonderful conductors led the students through a two-hour concert that included works by Handel, Shostakovich, Holst, Rachmaninoff, and works by contemporary composers from around the world.

Last February, TAISM also participated in the Honor Orchestra that was held in Beijing, China. Alicia Richins, violin, won a position in this prestigious ensemble which followed the same format of three days of intense rehearsals and a final gala concert. Conductor Matthew Spieke led the orchestra through a dramatic program that included Pirates of the Caribbean, a Mozart Divertimento and the Serenade for String Orchestra by Tchaikovsky.

The students who attended the AMIS Honor Band and Choir Festival from TAISM were Kevin Enns, oboe; Makram Ashkar, bassoon; Michael Patten, tenor saxophone; Macie Habib, horn; Alex Hossaini, trumpet; Hyeong Jun Kim, trombone, James Al Said-Marriott and Hye Jin Lee, percussion; Marie Elise Monsen, soprano; Juhi Nair, alto; Dany Chaloub and Marvin Matthew, tenors; and Seong Wook Jung and Nosa Paath, bass. Hyeong Jun Kim was honored as one of only eight students who had won a position through a blind audition all four of his High School years.

Makram Ashkar, bassoon, had high praise for the event, calling it “a life-changing experience,” and Michael Patten, tenor saxophone, said that the event “was one of the most incredible experiences I have done. I strongly encourage anyone with an interest in great music to audition.” Juhi Nair said that “the event will change the way you feel about music, people around you, and yourself.” Next year’s Honor Choir will be in Belgium and the Honor Band will be held in Aberdeen, Scotland. The greatest compliment to the Festival is that all of the students who are not graduating this year are hoping to make the grade again next year.