Category: ILMEA

2024 ILMEA District 5 Concert & Jazz Festivals

11/23/2024

Five Richland County High School Band Students Participate in the 2024 District 5 ILMEA Concert & Jazz Festivals

Five student-musicians from the Richland County High School band program have been selected to partake in the 2024 Illinois Music Education Association (ILMEA) District 5 Music Festival on November 4th (Jazz) & November 23rd (band, orchestra & choir) at Eastern Illinois University. These students were selected from a rigorous audition process as the top student-musicians representing 15 schools from twenty counties across the southeast Illinois area.

From left-to-right, the one middle school student, and the two high school band students that participate in the jazz festival on November 4th are Brooklyn Ferguson (eighth grade/junior jazz band), Lila Balding (junior/senior jazz band), and Ethan Zuber (senior/senior jazz band).

From left-to-right, the five RCHS band students that participate in the concert festival on November 23rd are Hadley Heath (sophomore/senior band), Lila Balding (junior/senior band), Jereme Higginbotham (sophomore/senior orchestra), Ethan Zuber (senior/senior band), and Alex Schneider (junior/senior band).

2023-24 ILMEA All-State Ensemble Participants

12/2/2023

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Two students from Richland County High School shall participate in the 2024 Illinois Music Education Association (ILMEA) All-State All-State Ensembles. ILMEA will host the event on January 25-27, 2023 in Peoria.

These students were selected from a rigorous audition process as the top student-musicians representing nearly 11,000 schools throughout Illinois. Of the thousands of students that auditioned, only a fraction of students were selected to participate in the event. The two RCHS students selected to participate are Emma Wells (senior/senior band), & Aidan Gomez (senior/jazz band).

Emma Wells was selected to participate in the 2024 All-State Band. She has also participated in the ILMEA District 5 Band for five years. In 2021, 2022, and 2023 she was selected for the All-State Band. Emma is currently a member of the Honors Wind Ensemble, Symphonic Band, Marching Tigers, and Jazz Band as a Clarinetist and Drum Major at RCHS. She is involved in the Tri-M National Honor Music Society where she serves as President and previously Historian. She has been a part of the Orchestra Pit for the RCHS musical three years in a row.

After graduating high school in 2024, Emma plans to attend a 4-year university where she will obtain her bachelor’s degree in Psychology or Speech Pathology, then go on to get her masters. She also plans on minoring in music and foreign language.

Aidan Gomez was selected to participate in the 2024 All-State Band. Aidan has been a member of the RCHS band since 2020. He has been a part of the Marching Tigers for the '20, '21, '22, and '23 marching seasons where he has been section leader and marched Baritone. He attended the Lincoln Trail Festival in 2022 and 2023 where he played 1st Trombone. He has also been a member of the Honors Wind Ensemble since 2020 where he has played Trombone. He is also a member of the Jazz Ensemble since 2021 where he has played Trombone. In 2022 and 2023, he participated in the ILMEA District 5 Jazz concert as 1st trombone at the campus of Eastern Illinois University. Also in 2022 and 2023, he participated in the ILMEA District 5 Concert band where he played trombone. He is also a member of Tri-M Chapter 8170 where he is the Secretary. Aidan has also been a member of the RCHS Orchestra Pit in 2021 2022. Aidan participated in IHSA Solo & Ensemble in 2022 and 2023. In 2022, he was part of a Quartet where they performed "Alexander's Ragtime Band for Trombone Quartets" and received a 1st superior rating.
After graduating from high school in 2024, Aidan plans to attend Eastern Illinois University for 4 years and major in Music Education, He wants to further pursue his education at University of Missouri and attain his Masters there.

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2023 ILMEA District 5 Festival

11/20/2023

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Seven student-musicians from the Richland County High School band program have been selected to partake in the 2023 Illinois Music Education Association (ILMEA) District 5 Music Festival on November 4th (Jazz) & November 18th (band, orchestra & choir) at Eastern Illinois University. These students were selected from a rigorous audition process as the top student-musicians representing 15 schools from twenty counties across the southeast Illinois area.

From left-to-right, the five RCHS band students that participate in the festival on November 4th are Wyatt Baker (senior/senior jazz band II), Ethan Zuber (junior/senior jazz band II), Lila Balding (sophomore/senior jazz band II), Aidan Gomez (senior/senior jazz band I), and Addison Ridgely (junior/senior jazz band II).

The three RCHS band students that participate in the festival on November 18th are (from left-to-right) Emma Wells (senior/senior band), Jereme Higginbotham (junior/senior orchestra), and Aidan Gomez (senior/senior band).

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ILMEA AUDITION PREP DAY - EIU

9/18/2023

The clinic is scheduled for Wednesday, September 20, 2023 from 12:30-3:30 p.m. We will depart RCHS at around 11:15 a.m. to allow time for lunch and the drive to Charleston, IL. We will return at 5:00 p.m. Eight people are attending the trip to EIU. Those people are Jereme Higginbotham, Emma Wells, Evey Mason, Ethan Zuber, Aidan Gomez, Ethan Mehl, Callista Ridgely, and Addison Ridgely. If you are auditioning for band or orchestra, you my print the music by clicking HERE. See the bottom of this message for more details.

A message from Dr. Ryan, Professor of Percussion at EIU:

"...attached is a schedule for the day. Your students will receive a pared-down version from us as well. We will have EIU students and staff on hand to guide your students by instrument, voice, or area from one session to the next."

2023 ILMEA Large Ensemble Festival

2/27/2023

2023 ILMEA LARGE ENSEMBLE FESTIVAL

docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1FNdSPTnpnDQseE2N9aHMLPyGW9ZX3TUCVXuQfhjVSv8/edit?usp=sharingThe Honors Wind Ensemble performs at the 2023 ILMEA Large Ensemble Contest on Saturday, March 11th. Performance attire is concert black-and-white (tuxes or dresses) that were issued out to the students at the beginning of the term. Parents may sign out their sons & daughters following the last RCHS performance that morning in the assigned homeroom.

The schedule for the day is as follows:

IHSA Organizational Contest Itinerary
6:00 AM (sorry)..............Call-time at RCHS
6:01-6:29 AM................Load & change into black-and-white concert attire
6:20 AM...............................Buses arrive at the RCHS circle drive
6:30-7:40 AM................Travel to the Doudna Fine Arts Center at EIU
8:00-8:29 AM................Honors Wind Ensemble warm-up
8:30-8:59 AM....................Honors Wind Ensemble performance
9:00-9:30 AM....................Clinic
9:30-11:00 AM...............Pack bus, travel to RCHS, unpack, & dismiss! (est. time)

FESTIVAL ADDRESS: Doudna Fine Arts Center on the campus of Eastern Illinois University is located at 801–849 Hayes Ave, Charleston, IL 61920.

Click HERE for bus and van seat assignment. Students must sign into their rccu1.net account for access to this document. Click on the tabs to navigate between the roster, the bus seating chart, and the van seating chart.

2023 ILMEA All-State Ensembles

12/12/2022

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Students from Richland County High School Participate in the 2023 ILMEA All-State Ensembles in Peoria, IL

Four students from Richland County High School shall participate in the 2023 Illinois Music Education Association (ILMEA) All-State All-State Ensembles. ILMEA will host the event on January 26-28, 2023 in Peoria.

These students were selected from a rigorous audition process as the top student-musicians representing over 12,000 schools throughout Illinois. Of roughly 2,400 students that auditioned, only a fraction of students were selected to participate in the event. The four RCHS students selected to participate were Kyle Rennier (senior/jazz band), Victoria Zwilling (orchestra/band), Evan Irvin (senior/jazz band), & Emma Wells (junior/band).

Kyle Rennier was selected to participate in the 2023 All-State Jazz Band. He is currently a member of Honors Wind Ensemble, Symphonic Band, Marching Tigers, Jazz Band, and Orchestra Pit as an Alto Saxophonist at RCHS. He is also a member of Tri-M National Honor Music Society; he has been Secretary for his Sophomore and Junior year and president his Senior year. He has received a 1st rating at IHSA Solo & Ensemble 5 times. He also represented RCHS at the Lincoln Trail Band Festival in 2020 and 2021. He was also selected for the All-State Band in 2022.

Kyle plans to attend Eastern Illinois University for a degree in education.

Victoria Zwilling was selected to participate in the 2023 All-State Orchestra. She has also participated in the ILMEA District 5 Choir, Band, and Orchestra in the years 2015-2021, the 2021 All-State Band, and the 2022 All-State Orchestra. She was selected to participate in the 2021 and 2022 Eastern Illinois University Honor Band as well. Victoria has received the 1st Superior rating five times for vocal and piano performances at the Illinois Grade School Music Association (IGSMA) Solo and Ensemble Contest and six times for piano and oboe performances at the Illinois High School Association (IHSA) Solo and Ensemble Contest.

Victoria Zwilling has performed as an oboist with the Honors Wind Ensemble and Symphonic Band at Richland County High School. Victoria is also the 2022 section leader of the Marching Tigers Front Ensemble. She serves as Vice President of the RCHS Chapter of Tri-M Music Honors Society. She represented RCHS at the Lincoln Trail Band Festival in 2020 and 2021. She also enjoys playing banjo and bluegrass music with her family.

Victoria is a senior this year and plans to attend a four year university next year, pursuing a Bachelor's degree in Environmental Biology, and a Master’s degree in Environmental Biology.

Evan Irvin was selected to participate in the 2023 All-State Jazz Band. He is currently a member of Honors Wind Ensemble, Symphonic Band, Jazz Band, and the Orchestra Pit for musicals at Richland County High School. Evan also performs with the Commercial Band, Community Band, and Community Jazz Band at the Olney Central College. He is a member of the Tri-M National Music Honors Society, in which he serves as Secretary. Evan plays upright bass, electric bass, tenor saxophone, and baritone saxophone. He has also played bass clarinet, clarinet, piano, and guitar. In addition, he was also recognized with the Richland County Middle School Louis Armstrong Award.

After graduating, Evan plans to attend Eastern Illinois University to earn a degree in music performance.

Emma Wells was selected to participate in the 2023 All-State Band. She has also participated in the 2019, 2021, & 2022 ILMEA District 5 Band. In 2021/22, she was selected for All-State Band. Emma is currently a member of the Honors Wind Ensemble, Symphonic Band, Marching Tigers, and Jazz Band as a Clarinetist at RCHS. She is also the historian of the Tri-M National Honor Music Society. Last year and this year, she is a part of the Orchestra Pit for the RCHS musical.

After graduating high school in 2024, Emma plans to attend a college as a Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology major, achieve a minor in music, followed by a masters degrees in Speech Pathology.

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2022 ILMEA District 5 Festival

11/20/2022

Jazz Festival on November 12th from left to right: Evan Irvin, Emma Wells, James Wyatt Baker, Aidan Gomez, Kyle Rennier, Ethan Zuber, & Ryan Zhu

Orchestra & Band Festival on November 19th from left to right: Victoria Zwilling, Aidan Gomez, Kyle Rennier, Jozalyn Houser, Evan Irvin, Emma Wells, Carly Houchin, & Ari Henby

Choir Festival on November 19th from left to right: Sean Joyce and River Logan

Thirteen student-musicians from Richland County High School have been selected to partake in the 2022 Illinois Music Education Association (ILMEA) District 5 Music Festival on November 12th (Jazz) & November 19th (band, orchestra & choir) at Eastern Illinois University. These students were selected from a rigorous audition process as the top student-musicians representing 15 schools from twenty counties across the southeast Illinois area.

The six RCHS students that participate in the festival on November 12th ares Kyle Rennier (senior/jazz band 1), Evan Irvin (senior/senior jazz band II), Wyatt Baker (junior/senior jazz band I), Aidan Gomez (junior/senior jazz band I), Ethan Zuber (sophomore/senior jazz band I), & Ryan Zhu (senior/senior jazz band II). Emma Wells attended the event as a helper to the District 5 ILMEA Instrumental Jazz representative.

The ten RCHS students that participate in the festival on November 19th are Victoria Zwilling (senior/orchestra), Aidan Gomez (junior/senior band), Jozalyn Houser (senior/senior band), Evan Irvin (senior/ senior band), Kyle Rennier (senior/senior band), Carly Houchin (freshman/senior band), Emma Wells (junior/senior band), Ari Henby (senior/senior orchestra), Sean Joyce (junior/senior choir), and River Logan (freshman/senior choir).

2022 ILMEA District 5 Ensembles - Audition Results

10/14/2022

Congratulations to the following students for earning a spot within the 2022 ILMEA District 5 Band, Jazz Band, & Orchestra Ensembles. The ILMEA District 5 Music Festival takes place at Eastern Illinois University.

Representing RCHS on Saturday, November 19th in the District 5 Senior Concert Band are Aidan Gomez (trombone), Ari Henby (flute), Carly Houchin, (flute), Jozalyn Houser (clarinet), Evan Irvin (tenor saxophone), Kyle Rennier (alto saxophone), and Emma Wells (clarinet.

Representing RCHS on Saturday, November 19th in the District 5 Senior Orchestra is Victoria Zwilling (oboe).

Representing RCHS on Saturday, November 12th in the District 5 Senior Jazz Band I are Wyatt Baker (trumpet), Aidan Gomez (trombone), Kyle Rennier (alto saxophone), and Ethan Zuber (trombone).

Finally, representing RCHS on Saturday, November 12th in the District 5 Senior Jazz Band II are Evan Irvin (bass), and Ryan Zhu (tenor saxophone).

Congratulations to each of you for this accomplishment!

Students from Richland County High School Participate in the 2022 ILMEA All-State Ensembles

11/27/2021

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Students from Richland County High School Participate in the 2021 ILMEA All-State Ensembles

Six students from Richland County High School shall participate in the 2022 Illinois Music Education Association (ILMEA) All-State Music Conference. ILMEA will host the event on January 26-29, 2022 in Peoria.

These students were selected from a rigorous audition process as the top student-musicians representing over 12,000 schools throughout Illinois. Of roughly 2,400 students that auditioned, only a fraction of students were selected to participate in the event. The six RCHS students selected to participate were Rylan Craig (senior/choir), Austin Vaughn (senior/band), Victoria Zwilling (junior/orchestra), Jozalyn Houser (junior/band), Kyle Rennier (junior/band), & Emma Wells (sophomore/band)

Rylan Craig was selected to participate in the 2022 All-State Choir. Rylan has also participated in the ILMEA District 5 Choir for five years from 2014-2021 at Eastern Illinois University. As of 2021 he is a member of the RCHS chapter of Tri-M National Honor Music Society. Rylan has performed with the RCHS Choir, Marching Tigers (where he served as section leader his junior and senior year), Honors Wind Ensemble, and Symphonic Band.

Along with music, Rylan has also participated in 4 musicals and plays as a sound and lighting technician. He is also the current Executive Board President of the RCHS Student Council which he has participated in for four years. Rylan plans to attend college in the fall studying Architecture.

Austin Vaughn is a Senior and has been a very active member of the RCHS Band, starting his freshman year. Austin played baritone with the Marching Tigers his freshman and sophomore years, and baritone saxophone for his junior and senior years. Austin also served as a Captain for the Marching Tigers his senior year.

Austin played bassoon (Sophomore-Senior years) for the Honors Wind Ensemble and Symphonic Bands, bassoon and tenor saxophone for Jazz Bands (Freshman and Senior years), and he has participated in the Orchestra Pit for The World According to Snoopy, where he played baritone saxophone and Elf: The Musical, where he played bassoon and baritone saxophone. Austin has played baritone, bassoon, alto saxophone, and baritone saxophone in the RCHS Pep bands.

Austin has also been a member of the RCHS Choir since his sophomore year. Austin has participated in the 2019, 2020, & 2021 ILMEA District Festivals, where he played 2nd bassoon (sophomore year) and 1st bassoon (senior year). He is an active member of Tri-M Chapter 8170 since his sophomore year and has served as Chapter Historian all three years. During Austin's senior year, he will participate as an All-State bassoonist in Peoria in January, 2022, where he will be in the All-State Band.

Victoria Zwilling was selected to participate in the 2022 All-State Orchestra. She has also participated in the ILMEA District 5 Choir, Band, and Orchestra in the years 2015-2021 and the 2021 All-State Band. She was selected to participate in the 2021 EIU Honor Band as well. Victoria has received the 1st Superior rating five times for vocal and piano performances at the Illinois Grade School Music Association (IGSMA) Solo and Ensemble Contest and four times for piano and oboe performances at the Illinois High School Association (IHSA) Solo and Ensemble Contest.

Victoria Zwilling has performed as an oboist with the Honors Wind Ensemble and Symphonic Band at Richland County High School. Victoria is also a member of the Marching Tigers Front Ensemble. She serves as Vice President of the RCHS Chapter of Tri-M Music Honors Society. She represented RCHS at the Lincoln Trail Band Festival in 2020. Victoria is a junior this year and is looking forward to future musical opportunities.

Jozalyn Houser was selected to participate in the 2022 All-State Band. Jozalyn participated in the 2018 and 2019 ILMEA District 5 Band. She is currently a member of the Honors Wind Ensemble, Symphonic Band, Marching Tigers, Jazz Band, and the Orchestra Pit for this year’s musical production as a clarinetist at RCHS. She is also a member of the Tri-M National Honors Music Society, where she served as treasurer during her Sophomore and Junior years.

She is a four-time recipient of the 1st Superior rating at the Illinois High School Association (IHSA) Solo & Ensemble Contest. She represented RCHS at the Lincoln Trail Band Festival in 2020. She has also been a high honors student every year in high school thus far. Jozalyn is a junior this year and is looking forward to future opportunities during her high school years.

Kyle Rennier was selected to participate in the 2022 All-State Band. He is currently a member of Honors Wind Ensemble, Symphonic Band, Marching Tigers, Jazz Band, and Orchestra Pit as an Alto Saxophonist at RCHS. He is also a member of Tri-M National Honor, and has been Secretary for his Sophomore and Junior year. He has received a 1st rating at IHSA Solo + Ensemble 4 times. He also represented RCHS at the Lincoln Trail Band Festival in 2020.

Emma Wells was selected to participate in the 2022 All-State Band. She has also participated in the 2019 & 2021 ILMEA District 5 Band. Emma is currently a member of the Honors Wind Ensemble, Symphonic Band, Marching Tigers, and Jazz Band as a Clarinetist at RCHS. She is also a new member of the Tri-M National Honor Music Society. This year she is also a part of the Orchestra Pit for the RCHS musical.

So far, Emma has been a high honors student for her first two years of high school. She is now a sophomore and is awaiting future opportunities during her high school career.

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ILMEA Parent/Guardian Concert Tickets

11/9/2021

PER THE DISTRICT 5 ILMEA PRESIDENT:

1. Each student will receive 2 tickets for the concert.
2. The parents MUST have the ticket with them to enter the concert. NO ONE will be allowed to enter without a ticket.
3. Parents will need to pay at the table when they arrive and their ticket will be stamped so they can show it at the door.
4. Please print out your tickets ONE TIME! They are numbered. (This statement pertains to the directors only)
5. Please ask parents to arrive to the concert NO MORE than a half hour before their concert. We do not want people congregating in the buildings.
6. All apparel and plaques will be handled through QR code sent previously.
7. When the program is ready, I will send out the QR code for the concerts before Saturday if you wish to send it to your directors. The codes will be available around the buildings to scan.

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2024 ILMEA District 5 Concert & Jazz Festivals

Five Richland County High School Band Students Participate in the 2024 District 5 ILMEA Concert & Jazz Festivals

2023-24 ILMEA All-State Ensemble Participants

2023 ILMEA District 5 Festival

ILMEA AUDITION PREP DAY - EIU

2023 ILMEA Large Ensemble Festival

2023 ILMEA LARGE ENSEMBLE FESTIVAL

2023 ILMEA All-State Ensembles

Students from Richland County High School Participate in the 2023 ILMEA All-State Ensembles in Peoria, IL

2022 ILMEA District 5 Festival

2022 ILMEA District 5 Ensembles - Audition Results

Students from Richland County High School Participate in the 2022 ILMEA All-State Ensembles

Students from Richland County High School Participate in the 2021 ILMEA All-State Ensembles

ILMEA Parent/Guardian Concert Tickets

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