On Saturday, Linganore Band students attended the Maryland State Solo and Ensemble Festival. This state-wide festival is a great way for students to express their musical creativity and talents through a judging process of solo, duet, or group pieces. The festival took place at Towson University, and lasted from early in the morning until the early evening.

Students eligible to perform in this festival must have earned a superior ranking from a judge at a county-wide festival months prior.

Students who participated includeed Madelyn Kahler, Rachel Miller, Mia Fontinella, Erika Katsumoto, Elizabeth Wallace, Sarah Buckley, Mackenzie Berry, Jack Christy, Amelia Jansen, David Wallace, Adam Seymour, Nick Kahler, Justin Blankenship, Zachariah Hudson, and Alexandria Hudson.

The goal of the festival is to receive a superior ranking from the judge(s) who listen to the live performance. Musicians are judged based on many categories, such as pitch, tone quality, or even factors such as posture. Out of all the Linganore students who competed this weekend, the majority received superior rankings, earning them certificates and small medallions.

Mia Fontinella, Class of 2021 flute player who revived all superior rankings after presenting two duets, said, “I really enjoyed the performances that I was able to listen to. The setup in the performance space was very interesting, and overall it was a wonderful experience.”

This was Mia’s third year attending the state festival, and she has earned superior rankings every year that she has attended.