5 LHS Students Qualify For ILMEA All-State Event

LEMONT, IL — Five Lemont High School seniors have been chosen to participate in the upcoming Illinois Music Education Conference. Emma Bozue (Violin), Kara Kirkus (Clarinet), Julie Stanwyck (Violin), Aaron Swenson (Piano) and Matthew Swick (Contrabass Clarinet) will participate in the conference, which will be held from Jan. 25-27 at the Peoria Civic Center. The five all-state honorees is a single-year record for the school’s music program, LHS said.

Hosted by the Illinois Music Education Association (ILMEA), the IMEC attracts the top performers from across the state, and includes guest conductors, seminars and a number of concert performances, according to LHS.

Kirkus, Swenson and Swick will participate as members of one of the All-State Bands, while Bozue and Stanwyck will be part of an All-State Orchestra. At the conference, each will audition against the state’s other top musicians in their respective instruments, the school said. Those auditions will determine both into which ensemble each places, as well as which chair each will hold within that ensemble.

The ILMEA All-State Concert begins at 1 p.m. on Jan. 27, while the Honors Concert follows at 3 p.m. A $5 ticket, which can be purchased in advance or at the door, gains entry into both performances.

LHS said the honorees each earned All-State recognition by virtue of their performances at the ILMEA All-District Festival, which was held at Elmhurst College on Nov. 18.

Photos provided by Lemont High School.