By Kristine Milbrandt

Sixteen members of the Wartburg College Concert Bands have been selected to perform at the 19th Annual Iowa Intercollegiate Honor Band Festival in Ames, Nov. 16-17.

A total of 120 musicians from 17 Iowa colleges and universities will participate in the festival, which includes a concert at 2 p.m. Saturday. Students will arrive at Ames Friday morning to audition for chair placement. The guest conductor is Lowell Graham from the University of Texas, El Paso.

“Of potentially thousands of college/university level band students in the state, these 120 students selected represent but a small fraction,” said Dr. Craig Hancock, director of Wartburg bands. “You have to be the best at your school, and the selection committee has to view your particular talents as more deserving than other nominated students.”

“It’s a unique opportunity for our band students to see how they compare — both in ability and training — with their peers from around the state,” Hancock said.

Hancock said normally around 15 students from Wartburg are accepted into the festival.

Katie Tressel ’14 from Ankeny, who plays the French horn, is looking forward to meeting the other musicians.

“I always see these events as a way to gain a different or more enlightened perspective on a shared interest, that interest being music,” Tressel said.

Hancock said that interaction is important.

“In music at the collegiate level, there are no contests, and few festivals toward which the students can work,” Hancock said “Venues such as this allow our student musicians to interact with their peers from other institutions, thus gaining insights into their own abilities and preparations.”

This is the fourth festival for David Wedeking ’13 from Waverly who plays the tuba.

“Dr. Hancock does a great job of giving us here at Wartburg an opportunity to be a part of it, and we are traditionally one of the largest groups there with many of us taking up the first few chairs in our respective sections,” Wedeking said.

Wartburg students selected for the honor band include:

• Lauren Baskerville ’13, oboe, Cedar Rapids
• Chelsea Brown ’14, trombone, Vinton
• Clara Davidson ’13, French horn, Onalaska, Wis.
• Ben Harting ’13, alto saxophone, Brandon
• Emily Hogan ’14, tenor saxophone, Earlville
• Jeremy Idler ’13, trumpet, Fort Collins, Colo.
• Erin Korthals ’15, trumpet, Bondurant
• Shea Kruger ’13, alto saxophone, Grafton
• Brittany Louk ’13, percussion, Webster City
• Brittany Manning ’13, clarinet, Dubuque
• Abbi Mueller ’14, bassoon, Garnavillo
• Haley Peters, ’15, euphonium, Dysart
• Katie Rice ’14, clarinet, Jefferson
• Hannah Shivers ’15, trombone, Bondurant
• Katie Tressel ’14, French horn, Ankeny
• David Wedeking ’13, tuba, Waverly