Commendations go to 18 Orcas High School musicians who came home from the regional San Juan Music Educators Association Solo/Ensemble Contest with some of their most impressive results ever. The musicians, accompanied by Strings Director Pamela Wright and Band Director Darren Dix, competed with more than 200 students.

For several years Wright has led the group to the top or near the top  at the SJMEA contest. Competing with much larger high schools from Bellingham and other Northwest Washington cities, the strings ensemble was awarded the second highest number of points and will be the first alternate to go to state competition if Bellingham’s Sehome High School is unable to make the trip. Additional praise goes to Emy Carter, on solo violin, who was selected as first alternate to go to the state competition, and sister Lisa Carter on solo piano, who was selected second alternate to go to state.

The Orcas High School Strings performed Bach’s “Concerto in D minor for Two Violins” (first and third movements) with Paris Wilson and Emy playing the solos. The judge commented on the beautiful quality of the ensemble’s sound and how well they communicated with each other and played together as a group.

The 10-member group is comprised of Michael Harlow, Emy, Lisa, Wilson, Emily Toombs, Joanne Mietzner, Michael Chesher, Zach Waage, Wylie Kau and Anthony Kaskurs.

Two small-string ensembles from Orcas competed with a whopping 64 other small-string ensembles at the contest. Orcas’s creatively named “U Jelly of Our Celli,” with cellists Kau and Kaskurs, performed “The Entertainer” by Scott Joplin and came within a hair’s breadth of making the play-offs for state competition.

Almost Classical’s Emy, Lisa and Wilson, with their arrangement of “Rewrite This Story” (from the TV show “Smash”) were selected to be in the play-offs for state, but were declared ineligible because one member of the group is too young.

Three violin soloists from Orcas performed at the contest. Emy, playing Bach’s “Partita No. 2 Sarabande,” was selected as first alternate for state. The judge said she “played with good feeling” and had “such nice tone.” Harlow, who was selected as the second alternate to go to state last year at competition, played the first and fourth movements of Schubert’s “Sonatina No. 3, Op. 137.”

“You have a fabulous vibrato,” said the judge, “and you play in an intimate style for this kind of music.”

Wilson, who is ineligible to perform at state competition due to her age, impressed the judge with Haydn’s “Concerto in G major,” first movement. “You have a beautiful line and phrasing, and a natural ease,” said the judge.

Two other soloists performed at the competition. Lisa, on piano, performed Debussey’s “Arabesque No. 1” and was selected second alternate for state. The judge commented on her excellent phrasing. And from the Orcas Band, Kaya Osborn, on alto saxophone, performed “Aria” by Eugene Bozza. The judge said she was “obviously very well-prepared.”

Seven other Orcas band musicians performed at the contest. Keith Light, Jo Gudgell and Liam Griskey-Watson, from the percussion group Da Beat Kidzz, performed the vigorous “Time Mixer” by Lynn Glassock. The two musicians in “Bandtastic 4” (Kahana Pietsch on trombone and Claire Bishop Martin on flute) performed an Allegro by Mozart.

Finally, the group “#Looking Naturals” (Holden Griskey-Watson on bass clarinet and McCabe Webb on euphonium) played Duets No. 2 and 3 from the “17 Duets” by Klose.

You can hear many of these musicians at the Music Advocacy Group’s concert at 3 p.m. on Sunday, March 1, in the Orcas School K-8 gym.