E.B.H.S. JAZZ BAND PLACES 3rd AT IOWA JAZZ CHAMPIONSHIPS
Eddyville-Blakesburg Schools
Des Moines/Eddyville, Iowa – On Tuesday April 10th, the Eddyville Blakesburg High School Jazz Band placed 3rd in class 2A competition at the Iowa Jazz Championships in Des Moines. This is the twenty-sixth year in a row that the E.B.H.S. Jazz Band has qualified for the Iowa Jazz Championships.
Three students were honored by the judges with Outstanding Soloist Awards: Brooke Lunsford; alto sax, and Tanner Powers; vibes, and Jackson Voyles; bass guitar
At the awards ceremony it was announced that Lead Alto Brooke Lunsford had been chosen as an Outstanding Soloist of the Day. This prestigious honor recognizes the four top soloists out of all the bands in each class. Brooke is a senior and has earned a soloist award at every jazz competition since she was in ninth grade.
The statewide competition is one of the nation’s premiere high school jazz events. Sixty of Iowa’s top high school jazz bands in four classes compete for state championships. Top adjudicators from colleges around the Midwest listen to each of the bands and select two from each class to perform in the evening playoffs. Bands qualify for championships by placing 1st or 2nd at their district jazz festivals or by winning at an independent jazz festival and placing ahead of an automatic qualifier.
There are 24 members in the Eddyville / Blakesburg Jazz Band this year including saxophones: Brooke Lunsford, Riley Arnold, Jacob Lane, Emma Haselhuhn, Samantha Claypool, and Steven Donohue, Flute & Piano; Megan Street and Jessica Jones, Trumpets: Anna Haselhuhn, Gage DeLaCruz, Bradley VerSteegh, Jacob Bunnell, and Michael Gates, Trombones: Heath Rice, Sean Owens, Ginny Lasley, and Nathaniel Harris, Rhythm Section: Tanner Powers; vibes, Kyle Taylor and Jake McGinnis; drums, Jackson Voyles; bass, Jered Abernathy; guitar, Andrea Long and Andria VerShuure; Auxiliary Percussion. Mr. Overton would like to thank all of the parents and friends who attended the competition for their support
