17 Irmo Middle Band Students Selected for All-State, Region Bands

Submitted by the Lexington-Richland 5's Office of Public Information

Can you imagine the courage it would take to try-out for a state-wide athletic team?  Competing against the best players from all over the state, and in front of some of the best coaches in the nation can be very scary.  Recently, 43 Irmo Middle School Band students did something very similar and with some amazing results!

On Saturday, January 12, a record-breaking 43 Irmo Middle School students, parents and chaperones, made the trek to Greenwood, SC for the first round of auditions for All-State.  This was the first opportunity that the band students had to audition for a state-wide band.  This is similar to the ‘first cut‘ for an athletic squad.  There, they had to play a solo they had practiced, play another piece of music they had never seen before, perform scales, and answer questions about musical terms, which are written in Italian, from a panel of adjudicators.  They were then rated and ranked. 

The most successful students were selected to go through another round of auditions in their quest to be named to the All-State band.  These auditions were held in Lexington on January 26^th.  Afterwards, the students with the highest ratings were placed in one of three prestigious bands; Junior Region Symphonic Band, Junior Region Concert Band or Junior All-State Band.  

Seventeen Irmo Middle students have been invited to take part in these three bands.  This is the most students to be selected from Irmo Middle in over a decade!  These fantastic young musicians are:

Junior Region Concert Band

Sylvester Davis – 1^st Chair Flute

Donna Birdsong – 15^th Chair Clarinet

Nick Dussault – 1^st Chair Bass Clarinet

Max Barker – 8^th Chair Trumpet

Rickey Schmidt – 5^th Chair Tuba

Junior Region Symphonic Band

Blythe Lybrand – 4^th Chair Oboe

Allison Davis – 3^rd Chair Bassoon

Reece Smoak – 5^th Chair Trumpet

Asten Stewart – 10^th Chair Trumpet

Andrew Lofurno – 1^st Chair Trombone

Logan Pierce – 2^nd Chair Percussion

Junior All-State Band

Carol Turner – 2^nd Chair Percussion

Michael Calamas – 6^th Chair Percussion

Anna Buck – 10^th Chair Flute

Sebastian Strevens – 2^nd Chair Tenor Sax

Brian Doyle – 3^rd Chair Euphonium

Andrew Lofurno – 5^th Chair Alternate Trombone

These students will join with other students from across the state for two days, working with a nationally recognized conductor, to learn new music and present a concert.  Along with producing an outstanding music performance, they will meet other great young musicians and forge friendships that will last a lifetime. 

Robert Jackson, the school principal said, “I am so proud of these students, they represented Irmo Middle School with class and dignity.  They are a talented and special group of students.”