Hastings College held its 56th Annual Honor Band, 48th Annual Honor Choir and 39th Annual Honor Orchestra on campus February 1-3, culminating with the annual concert on February 3
The Hastings College Honor Band, Orchestra and Choir (HBOC) are the longest-running high school music honor ensembles sponsored by a college in Nebraska and feature some of the best high school musical talent throughout the region. This year, student participants represented 35 high schools in Nebraska and Colorado.
The honor band was directed by Dr. Louie Eckhardt, director of bands at Hastings College; the orchestra was directed by Dr. Michael Laycock Wichita State University; and the choir was directed by Dr. Sean Burton of Briar Cliff University.
“Students selected for this year’s honors ensembles were simply outstanding,” said Dr. Byron Jensen, chair of the Hastings College Department of Music. “Students put in tremendous effort during rehearsals and small group practices with Hastings College faculty. It all came together for a beautiful concert, one of the best performances I’ve seen in my years of involvement with the ensembles.”
The afternoon concert concluded with all three ensembles performing “America the Beautiful” conducted by Hastings College music professor Dr. Marc LaChance.
Students participating in this year’s Hastings College Honor Band, Choir and Orchestra are listed below, by high school.
Adams Central High School
Band
- Trenton Bruntz
- Adam Eddy
- Sarina Janssen
- Shelby Lagueux
Choir
- Tyler Clay
- Amber Hollister
- Faith Marino
- Avery Muff
- Annie Wawrzynkiewicz
Arthur County High School
Choir
- Isaac Buitron
Aurora High School
Band
- Emily Donnell
- Elliott Jensen
Bellevue East High School
Choir
- Ryan Karl
- Mackenzie Krumland
- Noah Reestman
Brownell Talbot High School
Orchestra
- Brianna Li
Doniphan-Trumbull High School
Band
- Lacey Hoffman
- Sydney Puente
- Jason Remm
Falls City High School
Band
- Hailey Buchner
- Franklin Field
Fort Calhoun High School
Band
- Ben Bonacci
- Grant Hansen
- Keagan Hunter
- Aaron Johnson
- Avery McKennan
- Elizabeth Pace
Choir
- Jordan Wear
- Franklin High School
- Choir
- Karsen Bower
Fremont High School
Band
- Jessica Alcorn
Choir
- Aaron Mercado
- Juan Diaz
- Sarah Qualsett
Gibbon High School
Choir
- Morgan Wadkins-Meyer
Grand Island Central Catholic High School
Band
- Joseph Mueller
Orchestra
- Abigail King
Grand Island Senior High
Band
- Grant Cole
Hastings Senior High School
Band
- Emily Beave
- Joshua Brooks
- Joshua Coe
- Hailey Haase
- Benjamin Howie
- Anna Johnson
- Luke Fincher
- AJ Marousek
- Lucy Nielsen
- Audrey Weeks
Choir
- Grayson Baker
- Isaiah Brant
- Lauren Canady
- Chyna Delker
- Lily Kingsley
Orchestra
- Kaila Avent
- Saylor Pershing
- Rachel Witt
Holyoke (Colorado) High School
Band
- Trey Bennett
Julesburg (Colorado) High School
Choir
- Alius Evans
- Adolfo Fraire
Kearney High School
Band
- Mychaela Fegter
- Justin Johnson
- Chayna Lundgren
- River Mefferd
- Baylee Smith
- Jacob Temme
- Zach Uden
Orchestra
- Megan Darveau
- Jacob Hardy (Concert Master)
- Nicolas Landanger
- Veronica Mejia
- Cassandra Waddel
- Tori Williamson
Lakeview High School
Choir
- Olivia Engel
- Taylor Brewer
- Halla Paschold
Lamb of God Lutheran Academy
Orchestra
- Joanna Leckband
Lincoln High School
Band
- Sydney Kohl
Orchestra
- Annika Novotny
Lincoln East High School
Band
- Daniel Laws
- Jack McGowan
Lincoln Lutheran High School
Band
- Tyler Scholz
Milford High School
Band
- Joshua Ramsdell
Mitchell (Colorado) High School
Band
- Denali Lancaster
Nebraska City High School
Choir
- Jose Fernando Dominguez
Norfolk High School
Band
- Riley Bender
- Janea Hirschman
- MaKaila Holland
- Angel Lopez
- Austin Matthies
- Clayton Spray
- Thomas Wisnieski
Choir
- Danielle Bennett
- Madison Burns
- Marissa Carr
- Grant DeFor
- Lloyd Manansala
- Shelby Mulford
- Katie Rusk
- Jacob Wicker
Orchestra
- Taylor Butterfield
- Paloma Castillo
- Gavin Farrell
- Maureen Flaherty
- Miguel Gonzalez Jr.
- Caleb Rittscher
North Platte High School
Orchestra
- Nirvana Mendoza
- Josline Garcia
Osmond High School
Band
- Diandra Polt
Platteview High School
Band
- Braden Hawley
Choir
- Katelyn Grubb
- Madi McKewon
- Jenny Welsh
Scottsbluff High School
Band
- Brayden Gonzales
Choir
- Roberto Avila
- Dakota Empfield
- Shelby Fisher
- Hassie Hood
- Jaelynn Muhr
- Yessenia Perez
- Kimber Robbins
- Jackson Ronne
Orchestra
- Talia Wagner
- Emily Williams
Southern Valley High School
Choir
- Billy Cayou
- Anna Fisher
Sumner-Eddyville-Miller High School
Choir
- Madison Govier
Superior High School
Band
- Haley West
Thayer Central High School
Choir
- Dakota Cherney
- Maggie Harris
- Sierra Hatcher
Tri County High School
Choir
- Benton Gustafson
Hastings College is a private, four-year institution located in Hastings, Nebraska, that focuses on student academic and extracurricular achievement. With more than 60 majors and 15 pre-professional programs, Hastings College has been named among “Great Schools, Great Prices” by U.S. News & World Report and a “Best in the Midwest” by The Princeton Review. For more, go to hastings.edu.
