The IHSA Solo and Ensemble contest will be held at LZHS for musicians in all grades on Saturday, March 7. The event is open to all band, choir, and orchestra members all around the area. The event will provide an opportunity to be judged and critiqued on their musical performance.

“I’ve been preparing my solo since September. [I’m playing the] Concertino (Solo for Bb Clarinet) Revised by W. Strasser,” Emily Krause, senior clarinetist said. “I’ve heard many past alumni play this piece so I feel like I have to live up to the expectations of them not only to please my private lesson teacher, but also those who have supported my musical interest.”

Krause, who has been competing in the contest since sixth grade, hopes to play to the best of her extent and to have fun at her last Solo and Ensemble contest. But unlike Krause, Noel Brindise, senior cellist has not been preparing for six months. She has been preparing for less than a month, due to college applications. However, the difficulty in her piece, the 2nd Bach Suite for unaccompanied cello, comes from taking something simple and making the piece her own unique interpretation.

“The real issue is taking a pretty simple piece and paying extreme attention to detail. Bach didn’t put any dynamics at all in the [2nd Bach Suite.] In this piece, it’s all up to you. It’s scary, but exciting,” Brindise said.

Like most musicians including Krause and Brindise, Melanie McGrath, sophomore singer, said she has had trouble preparing her piece. Her piece, Du bist die ruh by Schubert, is all in German.

“That’s definitely been a challenge, [it’s] my first time singing in German. Some of the higher notes are out of my usual range,” McGrath said.

Solo and Ensemble offers a challenge similar to ILMEA, where students step out of their comfort zone without their school groups.

“It’s scary, but exciting. My favorite part is getting the chance to perform for someone. Performing is an art by itself, and it’s a battle of nerves every time,” Brindise said. I like to think I’m getting better at it.”