Hardy selected to All-State orchestra for second year in a row

A Clarke Community High School student has attained one of the highest individual honors a high school musician can receive — for the second year in a row.

Taylor Hardy, a junior, was selected as a member of the 2014 All-State Orchestra. She is a French horn student of Brad Lampe and Mike Peters.

Hardy is the daughter of Tanya and Dan Hardy of Osceola.

Clarke had eight students represent the school at the 2014 Iowa All-State Auditions at Indianola High School on Saturday, Oct. 25. The auditions were for the 281-piece All-State Band, 201-piece All-State Orchestra and 601-member All-State Chorus.

Auditions are held at Storm Lake, Hampton, Manchester, Harlan, Indianola and Washington. Approximately 17 percent of the students who audition are selected for membership in the All-State ensembles.

This audition takes a great deal of time, dedication, practice and courage. Lampe, Clarke high school band director, said he is proud of all eight of the students who auditioned from Clarke.

Hardy received the top honor in French horn by being chosen on first part in the orchestra. This is the highest individual honor that a player can receive in the district.

Audrey Sebring (senior, trumpet) and Reed Morris (sophomore, trumpet) were recalled but were not accepted into the band. This means that they made the first cut, which is still a high honor

Other students who auditioned were Terence Havlik (senior, Tuba), Dakota Davis (senior, flute), Nick Johnston (junior, clarinet), Kayci Mongar (sophomore, clarinet), and Taylor Jorgensen (senior, percussion).

Participants in the All-State ensembles will rehearse in Ames on Friday and Saturday, Nov. 21 and 22, and the Festival Concert will be presented to the public at 7:30 p.m. in Hilton Coliseum at Iowa State University in Ames on Saturday, Nov. 22.

Iowa Public Television will record the concert for rebroadcast. Check the IPTV website www.iptv.org for the exact dates and times. This program is under the auspices of Iowa High School Music Association and Iowa Music Educators Association.

Tickets are $18 each, plus fees, and all seats are reserved.

There are two methods of obtaining tickets for the Iowa All-State Festival Concert.

1) ISU Athletics Ticket Office — At the window, on sale 10 a.m. Oct. 27. The ticket office is located on the west side of the Jacobson Athletic Building in Ames. The ticket office is open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. There will be a $6 per ticket handling fee.

2) Ticketmaster — Orders may be placed by phone, online at www.ticketmaster.com or at any Iowa Ticketmaster outlet. They are on sale 10 a.m. Oct. 27. The phone number is 1-800-745-3000. Ticketmaster will charge a per-ticket convenience fee.