Ninety students across the Ottawa Township High School music department will compete in the 2026 Illinois High School Association (IHSA) Solo and Ensemble Contest on Saturday, March 7 at Bradley-Bourbonnais Community High School.

“Every year, I see growth from band students,” OTHS Band Director Andrew Jacobi said. “It’s rewarding to see things click for them and watch them make connections as they put things together with me or their accompanist. Some highlights on the band end are that we have a student playing the Gordon Jacob Trombone Concerto, which is a major work in professional trombone repertoire, and a student who is playing the Mozart Clarinet Concerto.”

“This year, I’m seeing the most participation I’ve ever seen from the students in Treble and Concert Choirs,” said OTHS Choir Director Ali Stachowicz, who adds Solo and Ensemble contest is voluntary for those students, but is a requirement for members of the Crimson Choir. “It’s exciting for me as an educator to watch younger students be brave enough to sing a solo for the first time, and it’s really exciting when they come in well-prepared and confident. For some of the older choir students, Solo & Ensemble is a fun challenge for them to try out some upper-level standards of vocal literature.”

For the IHSA Solo and Ensemble Contest, students prepare individual pieces for classical voice or instrument or assemble in small groups to practice a selection. During competition, they perform the piece for an audience and a judge who evaluates accuracy, technique, and musicality, issuing a rating from 1-5, with 1 being the highest mark a performance receives. “Through this process, students learn and improve their ability to