Fall Band Concert

Bainbridge High School TheaterNovember 9th, 2023. 5:45pm.

Dear Band Families and Band Friends, 

Thank you for coming to tonight's Fall Band Concert!  The absolute best way you can support your friends and family on stage is to attend their shows and give them loads of encouragement before and after their performances.  There's nothing like playing for an audience of loved ones.  Thank YOU!

I am so proud of our band members this fall.  We've earned some trophies and more caption awards for excellence, but the things that stand out to me are the thoughtful discussions we've had, the good natured smiles and laughs I've seen in the band hall, and the routines of excellence we've been practicing day in and day out all around our little band hall.

On a personal note, tonight is an especially meaningful concert for me.  As most of you know, in August my wife Lauren and I welcomed our first child, Nora, into this world.  On Monday, Lauren returns to her work as a social science researcher and I will take my turn caring for Nora for a few months.  I am excited about the time to connect with Nora and care for her full time, but I am also sad to be missing out on a few months of fun and accomplishments with my band students, whom I love dearly.  I know they will do great things with Dr Meredith, but I wanted to take time to note that this is a special night for me personally, and that I will miss the daily interactions with each of our students.  You guys are the best, and I am lucky to be your band director.  <3

Tonight's concert is a joyous celebration of all things new.  I hope you all enjoy the show.

Sincerely,

Chris Thomas 

Director of BandsBainbridge High School

Beautiful Bainbridge Island | Land Acknowledgement 


We would like to begin by acknowleding that the land on which we gather is within the ancestral territory of the Suquamish people. Expert fisher peoples, canoe builders, basket weavers, and much more, they have lived in harmony with the lands and waterways along Washington's Central Salish Sea for thousands of years, as they promised in the Point Elliot Treaty of 1855. 

"Every part of this soil is sacred in the estimation of my people. Every hillside, every valley, every plain and grove has been hallowed by some sad or happy event in days long vanished."

- Chief Sealth, 1854 

Student Recognition

Marching Band Season

I am so proud to report that our students had another amazing marching band season!  With 48 members this year, our band took home several awards.

For a full run down of results, please visit our Marching Band Awards Page.

Honor Bands

I'm proud to report an increase in the number of students participating in Honor Bands this year!  Huge congratulations to the following band members for being accepted into the following Honor Band Programs:

WMEA All-State

WIBC

U Montana All-Stars

PLU Honor Band

Concert Program

Jazz9

An opening set from our advanced jazz combo.

Large Ensembles

Symphonic Band

King's Mountain Adventure | Ed Huckeby

Songs of Old Kentucky | Brant Kerrick

I. John Riley (with Wayfaring Stranger)

II. Barn Dance (Sourwood Mountain, Frog Went-a-Courtin, Loving Hannah)

Wind 

Ensemble

Chasing Prisms | Chris Ozley

English Folk Song Suite | Ralph Vaughn Williams

No. 1 - March "Seventeen Come Sunday"

No. 2 - Intermezzo "My Bonney Boy"

No. 3 - March "Folk Songs From Somerset"

Special Performance!

Marching Band

Seven | Gary P Gilroy

Tonight's Composers

Tonight's Musicians

Jazz9

Will Alston, guitar

Miles Wieland, piano

Grady Nordstron, bass

Cole Moomaw, drums

Ben Beckett, vibes

Isaiah Beyer, sax

Connor Firth, sax

Stella Saleh, trumpet

Dillon Gray, trombone

Percussion Ensemble

SENIORS

Hannah Ast

Zachary Gonyea

JUNIORS

Benjamin Beckett

Cole Moomaw

Henry Bergan

Io Zaballa

Kayla Holmberg

Liam Doherty

Liam Jurcak

Theo Oestrich

SOPHOMORES

Hannah Gallagher

Matthew Borrevik

Quentin Faust

FRESHMEN

Finnegan Walker

Jack Castillo

Meridian Benson

Timmy Voss

Vivian Flowers

Symphonic Band

FLUTES

Bailey Kleiven

Eve Wilson

Fia Wetter

Kelsey Goodro

Nicole Stipe

Pebbles Featherston

Sage Matteson

Seiya Stutzman

CLARINETS

Amanda Herten

Lucy Kooistra

Olyvia Shepard

BASS CLARINET

Rex Cantwell

SAXOPHONES

Annamarie Peterson (a)

Cascade Kaseler (a)

Lauren Blakemore (a)

Julia Seeley (t)

Max Hay (b)

Miguel Guillen Kushner (b)

TRUMPET

Abby Gerlek

Austin Williams

Jacob Stiepleman

Oliver Smith

Timothy Riggs

HORN

Dane Bowman

Henry Burruss

TROMBONES

Atlas Montgomery

Fae Aldrich

Kordell Reister

Gabby Tebo

EUPHONIUM

Gail Corns

TUBA

Sambela Aziz

Wind Ensemble

FLUTES

Brian Powers

Emma Kilby

Hannah Ast

Nolan Harui

OBOE

Callie Martin

VIOLIN

Matilda Sykes

CLARINETS

Abby Peterson

Aubrey Wilson

Cascade Matteson

Claire Bremer

Finn Armstrong

BASS CLARINETS

Gavin Smit

Thomas Hensley

SAXOPHONES

Connor Firth (a)

Isaiah Beyer (a)

Miles Wieland (t)

Sebastian Ford (b)

TRUMPETS

Dane Bowman

Elijah Treder

Giada DiMarco

Gretchen Johnston

Max Ramos

Stella Saleh

HORNS

Caelan Fehrenbacher

Dolly Courtway

Henry Burruss

Lillian Jackson

TROMBONE

Ben Van Patten

EUPHONIUM

Dylan Gray

TUBAS

Grady Nordstrom

Sambela Aziz

DOUBLE BASS

Kayla Holmberg

Marching Band

DRUM MAJORS

Lillian Jackson

Max Ramos

FLUTES

Bailey Kleiven

Brian Powers

Fia Wetter

Hannah Ast

Nicole Stipe

Sage Matteson

CLARINETS

Aubrey Wilson

Claire Bremer

SAXOPHONES

Chloee Collier (a)

Jamie Moerchen (a)

Miles Wieland (a)

TRUMPETS

Dane Bowman

Elijah Treder

Giada DiMarco

Pigeon Gerlek

Timothy Riggs

MELLOPHONES

Caelan Fehrenbacher

Gretchen Johnston

Henry Burruss

LOW BRASS

Atlas Montgomery

Ben Van Patten

Fae Aldrich

Gabby Tebo

Dylan Gray

Kordell Reister

SOUSAPHONE

Sambela Aziz

FRONT ENSEMBLE

Finnegan Walker

Io Zaballa

Matthew Borrevik

Meridian Benson

Theodore Oestreich (*)

Timmy Voss

Vivian Flowers

Zachary Gonyea

BATTERY

Benjamin Beckett (s)

Cole Moomaw (s*)

Liam Jurcak (t)

Quentin Faust (t)

Liam Doherty (b1)

Henry Bergan (b2)

Kayla Holmberg (b3)

Hannah Gallagher (b4)

GUARD

Ash Clark

Callie Wilkinson

Jasper Gustafson

Steph Cuthbert

Band Directors

Mr Thomas and Dr. Lauren Drakopulos <3
Welcome Eleanora!
Gaia just tore up some window blinds.  Yay!

Chris Thomas has been the band director at Bainbridge High School since the 2012-2013 school year. Since then, every area of the program has won multiple awards for excellence. He prides himself in being a well rounded musician who enjoys the time he gets to spend with his bandmates.  As an educator, he works to show each of his students the joys of inspired performances and deep band friendships.

While at BHS, he founded our Community Swing Dance, State Honors Recital, and the Puget Sounds Jazz Festival, the only festival dedicated to improvization and the joyful, spontanious interactions between young jazz musicians.  Mr Thomas has also served on multiple schedule and hiring committees while at BHS, and has served on the Board of Directors for our regional music teachers' association in multiple roles, including president and webmaster.

Off campus, he plays trumpet with Backstreet Jellyroll (an 11 piece professional Van Morrison cover band), TMB Brass Band (Seattle's first call for second line), and Bud's Brass Quintet (a casual classical ensemble of mostly retired musicians and educators). He served as principal trumpet in the Bainbridge Symphony for five years before retiring from that ensemble in 2018, and previously performed with the Missoula Symphony.  While finishing his Masters Degree, Chris was a featured soloist with the Missoula City Band during their televised July 4th performances.  Mr Thomas played lead trumpet with the Kitsap Jazz Orchestra, and in the top jazz ensembles at Central Washington University and the University of Montana.  Chris was a lead trumpet and soloist with the Seattle Cascades Drum and Bugle Corps in 2001 and 2002, and with The Cadets Drum and Bugle Corps in 2003 and 2004.

Before coming to BHS, Mr Thomas taught music classes for the Bellingham School District, Sedro-Woolley High School, the West Valley School District in Yakima, and The University of Montana.  Mr Thomas also was on the instructional staff of The Seattle Cascades Drum and Bugle Corps from 2009 to 2012.

Mr Thomas holds a Masters Degree in Music from The University of Montana (2010), a Bachelors Degree in Music Education from Central Washington University (2007, with endorsements in instrumental music, vocal music, and general music), and an Associates of Arts and Sciences Degree from Shoreline Community College.  Chris was inspired to continue studying music as a potential career path while taking a few elective classes as a freshman at Whatcom Community College.

Mr Thomas is married to Dr. Lauren Drakopulos, and together they are renovating a 1901 schoolhouse and trying their best to explore the great NW and beyond whenever they have a rare spare minute. This August, they welcomed their first child, Nora, to the world, and adopted a dear friend's 7 year old havanese-poodle mix, Gaia!  Life is crazy all of a sudden...!

Mr T has a soft spot in his heart for the Seattle Mariners, frisbees in parks, bouldering gyms, and the bands at BHS.  Go Spartans!  <3 <3

Introducing Dr. Scott Meredith!

Dr Meredith will be with us full time through Midwinter Break.
Welcome Dr. Scott Meredith!

I am beyond excited to be a part of this organization. Looking very much forward to working with an elite team of artists, making new friends, and making a connection with this community on Bainbridge Island. It is both a pleasure and honor to serve this great band program!

Dr. Scott Meredith currently resides in Poulsbo, Washington where he actively performs with the Seattle Symphony, Pacific Northwest Ballet, Auburn Symphony, Yakima Symphony, Seattle Metropolitan Chamber Orchestra, North Corner Chamber Orchestra, Symphony Tacoma, Seattle Collaborative Orchestra and the Port Angeles Symphony.

For 12 years, he was Professor of Trumpet at the University of Wyoming, and served on faculties of the University of Northern Colorado and the University of North Texas.

Dr. Meredith has performed nationally with the Boulder Philharmonic, Cheyenne Symphony, Fort Collins Symphony, Greeley Philharmonic, Owensboro Symphony, the Irving, Plano, and San Angelo Symphonies, Dallas Wind Symphony, North Charleston Pops, Baroque Chamber Orchestra of Colorado, and at the Colorado Music Festival.

Dr. Meredith earned the Doctor of Musical Arts in trumpet performance from the University of North Texas. He earned the Masters of Music degree from the University of North Texas. He earned and Bachelor of Music Education and Music Performance degrees from the University of Northern Colorado.

Dr. Meredith can be heard on the CD "Chamber Music of Jennifer Higdon" featuring the premiere recording of her "Trumpet Songs" ("Trumpets can sing, too, and trumpeter Scott Meredith does just that, displaying a gorgeous tone and sense of phrasing." Fanfare Magazine). He can also be heard on the "Teaching Music through Performance in Band" series as well as numerous recordings with the University of North Texas Wind Symphony under the direction of Eugene Corporon as part of the "Klavier Wind Project" including: Convergence, UFO: Music of Michael Daugherty, Time Pieces, Recollections, Symphonic Excursions, Escapades, Carmina Burana, Hemispheres, Allegories, and Retrospectives.

In his spare time Dr. Meredith enjoys watching movies (especially Star Wars!!), exploring Washington on his bike, and hanging out with his wife Tamara and daughter Kat.

Dr. Meredith is a Bach Artist for the Conn Selmer Co.

Biographies written by Mr Thomas & Dr Meredith.

Compliments to the Band!

The bands LOVE to hear how you like their performances. Please take a short moment to drop them some encouragement. Click this URL and give some props. It's easy and it's free. 

Here's some ideas for you to start with.  :)

Thank you!

Huge thank you to our Band Booster volunteers and board members. You have made such a huge difference to our students, and community. THANK YOU! 

So much appreciation is also due to our stage manager Kyle Ricks, custodial team, administrators, and our Sakai & Woodward band director, Mr Paul Meehan - love ya, buddy! 

Enjoy the show!