***William Ly is a participant of The Kewanee Voice Student Journalism Program, funded by The Harry Anderson Memorial Trust.

Four Kewanee High School students were recognized at the ILMEA (Illinois Music Education Association) All-State Festival on Saturday, Feb. 1, in Peoria.

The ILMEA gives students the ability to qualify into band, choir or orchestra categories. The ILMEA then splits qualifiers into the All-State or Honors groups.

This year, three Kewanee High School students qualified for the All-State Choir. Each choir selects 32 students per voice part. Choirs honorees included senior Claire Olalde (Alto 1), senior Trivian Massens (Tenor 1) and junior Kaiden Goffrier (Tenor 2).

In addition to qualifying, Olalde is the first Boilermaker to qualify for a treble-voiced part in over 30 years at Kewanee High School.

These students rehearsed from Thursday to Saturday morning to prepare for the festival’s concert. Along the way, they got the chance to learn from the best educators from the State of Illinois.

In addition to the performances, the ILMEA hosts its future educators seminar and composition contest.

In this year’s composition contest, senior Brennyn Ford received an Honorable Mention for his piece “Fantaisie for Wind Ensemble.” He is the first Kewanee student to receive this honor in over 30 years.

Over the weekend, Ford participated in classes taught by some of the best composers in Illinois. Additionally, he was able to collaborate with other students who received the same honors. The composition contest receives submissions in various genres of music, including rap/hip hop, jazz, wind ensembles and more.