5 Joliet West students to participate in ILMEA state ensembles

JWHS students will perform with other Illinois musicians in a concert on Jan. 29 in Peoria

November 26, 2021 at 6:00 pm CST

The Joliet West High School symphonic band is seen in 2018. The Illinois Music Education Association selected five Joliet West students to perform in its all-state bands, choirs and orchestras in January 2022.

The Illinois Music Education Association selected five Joliet West students to perform in its all-state bands, choirs and orchestras, according to a news release from Joliet Township High School District 204.

Payton Fraser, soprano, and Zinnia Manning, alto, will perform in the honors chorus; Lucas Hobbs, string bass, will perform in the orchestra; Reid Hogan, tuba, and Derrick Neal, trombone, will perform in the band.

The students will rehearse with other musicians across Illinois for three days in Peoria and then perform a concert Jan. 29.

Joliet West choir director is Tim DeBoer. Joliet West orchestra director is Peter Lipari. Joliet West band directors are Eric Wellman and Alyson Bauman.

Denise M. Baran-Unland

Denise M. Baran-Unland is the features editor for The Herald-News in Joliet. She covers a variety of human interest stories. She also writes the long-time weekly tribute feature “An Extraordinary Life about local people who have died. She studied journalism at the College of St. Francis in Joliet, now the University of St. Francis.