Summer Band Concert

Bainbridge High School Theater | May 23rd, 2024 @ 7PM

This is foreshadowing.

Dear Band Families,

Thank you, once again, for attending tonight's concert.  Our students have been hard at work for months preparing tonight's literature, and they have again raised the bar to an exciting level.  Tonight's show has more notes, more dynamic contrast, more playing with rubato, more time signature changes, and more energy and passion than you might have imagined while attending our fall concert back in November.

The growth we see from concert to concert, year to year, is so inspiring for me.  I LOVE seeing these young musicians excell, and I revel in the fact that new students rise to the occasion with each round of performances.  I have seen students embrace the athletic challenges and leadership responsibilities of marching band, the ambition and resourcefulness required to do an off-campus honor band, the committment and vulnerability that comes with jazz improvization, and the rigor and imagination it takes to really put yourself into the world of chamber music.  I have seen this year after year, and with each May, it brings the end of the road for our band seniors.  A treasured group of young people that I have grown to appreciate and value more than they know.  I am so proud of our seniors, and I know I speak for so many in the band, "we are going to miss you all."

This concert is our cap to a wonderful year together, and is a real opportunity to intentionally celebrate these students, who with all the choices available to them, chose to stick with music, with their band friends just a little longer.  Their committment is what makes us... us.

As the night progresses, please keep the seniors in mind, and let's give them an amazing send off filled with gratidude and excitment.

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

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:

All-State

All-State Wind Ensemble

All-State Concert Band

All-State Philharmonic Winds

WIBC

UMT

PLU

Chamber Music

We have even more good news to report!  We sent 12 performances to the State Solo & Ensemble Competition, hosted at CWU by WMEA and WIAA!  This is one of the highest totals in the state.  Per usual, our students rose to the occasion and delivered impassioned and convincing performances one after another throughout the weekend.  In the end, we had 5 students earn medals for top three finishes this year, more than any other school in Washington State.  There are 410 schools in the WIAA Competition Leagues, and these students came out 1st out of everyone.


STATE CHAMPIONS

Finnegan Armstrong (Clarinet) 

Isaiah Beyer (Low Sax)

SECOND IN STATE

Finnegan Armstrong (Bass Clarinet)

Cole Moomaw (Snare)

THIRD IN STATE

Ben Beckett (Mallets)


I was pretty sure that BHS students have earned an exceptional number of medals, but I (a data nerd) wanted to quantify and substantiate my claim that these kids were exceptional.  So - I looked at the published lists of past contest winners on the WMEA page, and typed out every medal winner's school and category since COVID, and here are the top schools each year, by medal count:

2024 - Bainbridge (6), Olympia (6), Decatur (5), Mercer island (4), five other schools tied at (3).

2023 - Bainbridge (6), Mountain View (6), Tumwater (3), eleven other schools tied at (2).

2022 - Bainbridge (5), Ferris (4), Mercer Island (4), Mountain View (4), Auburn Riverside (3), nine other schools tied at (2).

For those of you who like to add things up, here are the top three year totals:


Again, these totals are in a competition of 410 schools, and include the 22 categories pertaining to band.  (Ie, flute solos, and not viola solos).

Jazz Awards

Jazz One was a finalsist once again at this year's Bellevue High School Jazz Festival, and the following students earned Outstanding Soloist Awards:


Conor Firth, Alto Sax

Stellah Saleh, Trumpet

Concert Program

Jazz One

Switch in Time | Sammy Nestico

Blue Rondo a la Turk | Dave Brubeck (arr. Kris Berg)

Percussion Ensemble

The River | Seth Adams

Symphonic Band

At Dawn They Slept | Jay Bocook

Heroes Near & Far | Richard Saucedo

Wind Ensemble

Colours | Roger Cichy

Godzilla Eats Las Vegas | Eric Whitacre

Our 2024 Band Seniors

After our final piece, the band's seniors will take front stage for a special presentation by our booster parents.  This year's senior scholarship award winners will be announced and each senior in band will be presented with a yellow friendship rose during the playing of our school's alma mater and finght song.

Hannah Ast

Zachary Gonyea

Dylan Gray

Emma Kilby

Grady Nordstrom

Abby Peterson

Brian Powers

Ben Van Patten


Baha Ali (Jazz Band Only)

Will Alston (Jazz Band Only)

BHS Band Booster Scholarships

Robert & Brandy Lacey

The 2024 Bainbridge High School Band Boosters Senior Scholarships are presented in honor of Mr Robert Lacey, who was a steadfast supporter of the band and the father of three year drum major, Kelsey "Liz" Lacey, who graduated in the spring of 2021, and is currently graduating college and beginning her career as a band director.

Robert was a Maintenance Supervisor for most of his career in the Kingston Fire Department.  Robert was a huge supporter of all our bands, and an invaluable volunteer during marching band seasons.  Robert helped with equipment, drove our trucks and trailers, and cheered the kids on endlessly.  After a few record setting seasons with the band in 2017, 2018, and 2019, Robert even bought a new truck and was SO excited to share it with the band, bringing up that it had more charging capabilities than his old truck, so people could even charge their cell phones from it, which was more of a luxury back then.  Robert was easy going, always thinking ahead, quick to laugh, and a real joy to be around.

What would have been Liz' senior year as a 3rd year drum major was cancelled due to Covid-19, and Robert developed an agressive cancer during lockdowns.  He fought it hard, and was beating it back.  Unfortunately, the cancer was relentless and it took Robert's life on February 25th, 2024.  You can read more about Robert and his cancer journey here:

https://www.gofundme.com/f/z8begk-medical-expenses-for-cancer-treatment 

Robert's passing left a hole in our community, and we are honored to present this year's scholarships in his honor.

Tonight's Composers

Composer Diversity StatementI acknowledge the composer pool for this concert isn't as diverse as I would like it to be.  While each of these composers has a unique and expressive voice of their own, it is a goal of mine to play a role in righting the 100+ years of privileges and systems that have largely failed to find, encourage, or publish the voices of women and people of color.  Now, it is more important than ever to support our schools and booster programs, so we have the resources needed to invest in new curriculum from new composers

Tonight's Musicians

Jazz One

REEDS

Issiah Beyer (a*)

Connor Firth (a)

Cascade Kaseler (t)

Finn Armstrong (t)

Mimi Claps (t)

Sebastian Ford (bari)

TRUMPETS

Stella Saleh (*)

Dane Bowman

Giada DiMarco

Elijah Treder

Gretchen Johnston

TROMBONES

Dylan Gray (*lead)

Atlas Montgomery

Lillian Jackson

Ben Van Patten (bass)

RHYTHM

Will Alston (g)

Henry Burruss (g)

Miles Wieland (p)

Grady Nordstrom (b)

Nicole Stipe (b)

Cole Moomaw (*d)

Zachary Gonyea (d)

Benjamin Beckett (v)


* Section Leader

Percussion Ensemble

SENIORS

Hannah Ast

Zachary Gonyea

JUNIORS

Benjamin Beckett

Cole Moomaw

Henry Bergan

Io Zaballa

Kayla Holmberg

Liam Doherty

Liam Jurcak

Theo Oestreich

SOPHOMORES

Hannah Gallagher

Matthew Borrevik

Quentin Faust

FRESHMEN

Finnegan Walker

Jackson 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

Atlas Montgomery

Ben Van Patten

Gabby Tebo

EUPHONIUM

Dylan Gray

TUBAS

Grady Nordstrom

Sambela Aziz

DOUBLE BASS

Kayla Holmberg

Tonight's Conductors

Nora, Mr T, Dr Drakopulos, & Gaia the dog.

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. 

Mr Thomas 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.  He loves this program, and wants it to inspire generations of kind and ambitious young people from Bainbridge Island.

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

Give Some Concert Props!!

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 fast, easy, and it's free. 

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

Thank You!

A huge thank you to the BHS administrative and custodial crews, our theater faculty and staff, the rest of our district's music teachers (especially Mr Meehan!), our entire facilities and maintenance staff, our beloved BHS Band Booster Parents, and my wonderful family!