Hanford High School Wind Ensemble Selected For Regional Performance

Hanford High School’s Wind Ensemble students, who play everything from trumpets and trombones to oboes and saxophones, will perform for a regional convention of music educators in Portland in February 2019. 

The Hanford students, under the direction of music teacher Russ Newbury and assistant directors Chris Newbury and Adam Hancock, will be one of two featured high school wind ensembles to perform at the All-Northwest Music Educators Regional convention, part of the National Association For Music Education (NAFME). 

The biennial convention brings music teachers from Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, and Alaska who come together to celebrate the finest ensembles from the region as well as share teaching concepts with renowned clinicians from around the nation.

The HHS wind ensemble, along with the chamber orchestra (assisting the wind ensemble with the unique composition “Intrada 1631” by composer Stephen Montague) includes about 100 students. While most play a wind instrument such as a horn or woodwind, a few play percussion, string or keyboard instruments. Mr. Newbury says Hanford’s selection to perform is historic for the school’s music program.

“The students are going to perform magnificently,” Mr. Newbury says. “It really is an honor to be selected to perform in front of so many people dedicated to making music a part of our world.”

During the convention, the Washington All-State groups and All-Northwest student honor groups, which include Richland School District students, also will perform.