Valley takes 4A crown at Iowa Jazz Championships

Sixty of the top high school jazz ensembles gathered at Stephens Auditorium in Ames on April 2 to compete in the the Iowa Jazz Championships. The showcase competition featured 15 groups from each of the four Iowa high school classifications.

In the band competition, Valley High School grabbed top honors in Class 4A after having a runner-up finish in 2018. Pella High School was first in Class 3A, while Okoboji took top honors in Class 2A, and North Mahaska rounded things out with a first place finish in Class 1A.

All Iowa high school jazz programs were eligible for an invitation to the Iowa Jazz Championships. Automatic invitations were issued to the first and second place bands in each class of the six district jazz festivals. All ensembles performed in the daytime preliminary competition of the Iowa Jazz Championship, and the top two bands from each classification performed in the evening finals competition.

2019 Iowa Jazz Championships Results:

Class 1A Bands
1st: North Mahaska
2nd: Earlham
3rd: Kingsley-Pierson
4th: Logan-Magnolia
5th: Griswold
6th: South O’Brien
7th: IKM-Manning
8th: Belle Plaine

Class 1A Outstanding Performers
Chris Cannon, trombone, Lisbon
Eva Fisk, alto saxophone, Earlham
Trent Lammers, bass, Kingsley-Pierson
Tyler Mandernach, trumpet, Newell-Fonda

Class 2A Bands
1st: Okoboji
2nd: MVAOCOU
3rd: West Marshall
4th: West Lyon
5th: Roland-Story
6th: Monticello
7th: South Central Calhoun
8th:Tri-Center

Class 2A Outstanding Performers
Brody Halter, West Marshall
Marie Ohlinger, Tri-Center
Alayna Ringsby, Roland-Story
Delanee Van Zante, Eddyville-Blakesburg-Fremont

Class 3A Bands
1st: Pella
2nd: Harlan
3rd: Xavier
4th: Centerville
5th: Independence
6th: Glenwood
7th: Mt. Pleasant
8th: Winterset

Class 3A Outstanding Performers
Annaleigh Babcock, trumpet, Pella
Sean Deegan, tenor sax, Xavier
Isaac Piersma, drum set, Pella
Ben Rihner, trombone, Harlan

Class 4A Bands
1st: Valley High School
2nd: CR Washington
3rd: Iowa City West
4th: Waukee
5th: Southeast Polk
6th: Johnston
7th: Sioux City North
8th: Cedar Falls

Class 4A Outstanding Performers
Ethan Buck, saxophone, Iowa City West
Lauren Fergus, trumpet, Johnston
Odysseus Orr, trumpet, Muscatine
Vivian Shanley, bass, CR Washington