SYRACUSE — Several Wawasee Community School Corporation orchestra students earned gold medals during the Indiana Secondary School Music Association solo and ensemble competition Saturday, Jan. 27, at Elkhart Central High School. The annual event, held in multiple locations around the state, gives music students the opportunity to perform solos and ensembles for highly qualified music adjudicators, who give them feedback and award medals based on the students’ level of achievement.
From Milford Middle School, soloists Kylie Evans (violin) and Josalyn Kolberg (viola) received gold medals, as well as two instrumental ensembles — a seventh grade trio of Kylie Evans, Josalyn Kolberg and Abigail Umanzor; and an eighth grade quintet of Amy Beer, Taylor Castro, Alissa Gill, Kelsey Harper and Kaitlynn Jackson.
From Wawasee Middle School, violinist Allison Clark was awarded a gold medal and bassist Kaley Kuhaneck received a silver medal. An eighth grade quintet of violinists Taylor Cripe, Whitney DeLong, Allyson Eppert, Mariah Hurst and McKenzie Long also received gold medals.
Nearly half of the orchestra students at Wawasee High School participated in the competition this year and made a clean sweep of gold medals. Two ensembles earned gold medals including a freshman violin trio of Tess Helfers, Norah Miller and Georgia Wise and a sophomore trio consisting of violinists Kasey Gunkel and Sydney Jaggers and violist Robert Sopher. Five violin soloists also performed: sophomores Cassidy Cannon, Kasey Gunkel and Sydney Jaggers; junior Kaitlin Graber and senior Amy Beer.