Ottawa High School music program finishes 3rd in state

The Ottawa High School music program is among the best in the state.

With the state contest scores finalized, the program finished in third place in Class A with 735 points, finishing behind Kewanee with 897 points and Sycamore with 873 points.

Ottawa recently competed in the organizational portion of the state contest April 11-12 in Coal City.

The solo and ensemble contest, held March 8, has more variables with students competing in several events. The second part of the two-part competition, the organization contest, has four performances, with a maximum of 300 points available.

Ottawa has won 22 state music titles, winning its last Class AA state title in 2017-18. The program has finished in the top four since.

The choir program is led by Ali Stachowicz, and band is led by Andrew Jacobi.