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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Festival Brings Out Best In Student Musicians Seven Valley High School Students Qualify For The All Northwest Music Festival

Kim Barker Staff Writer

If Nathan Reese had been a smaller fifth-grader, he might have picked up the flute.

It’s genetic providence for the Central Valley High School orchestra that Reese wasn’t short.

“The teacher said I was tall so they put me on the bass,” Reese said.

Now, six years later, the 17-year-old junior is one of only seven Valley high school students to qualify for the All Northwest Music Festival, which features students from Washington, Idaho, Oregon, Montana, Wyoming and Alaska.

Reese’s teacher, Eugene Jablonsky, described Reese as a meticulous player who’s very selfcritical. Jablonsky remembered when he first saw Reese play as an eighthgrader.

“He was playing really wonderfully, and he had an expression on his face like he was totally disgusted,” Jablonsky said.

The All Northwest Music Festival is held every two years. This year, the festival will be held in Spokane. The festival features an orchestra, a band, a treble choir, a full choir, a jazz band and a jazz choir.

“It’s kind of a neat thing to have it come back to Spokane,” said Dave Weatheredd, the All Northwest Orchestra chairman and the band and orchestra director at Joel E. Ferris High School.

The groups will practice at Ferris the weekend of Feb. 18 and 19 and perform at the Opera House. The jazz concert will be at 8:30 p.m. Feb. 18. The orchestra, band and choir concerts will start at 3 p.m. Feb. 19.

Reese is one of only three Valley students in the orchestra, which is made up of 210 students.

The other two students often practice together. They live together. They’re Ruth and Kevin Boden, siblings and students at East Valley High School.

Music is in the family: Their father is a repairman at the Brass and Woodwind Shop.

Kevin plays the viola. At 14, he’s one of a small number of freshmen playing in the festival. He’s been playing since fourth grade.

Kevin first wanted to play the trumpet, but he would have had to wait until fifth grade. So he picked the viola.

“It’s so unique,” Kevin said. “And violin’s extremely too high and the cello’s too low. Viola’s right in between.”

His sister, Ruth, disagrees. She’s a junior and made the All Northwest Orchestra two years ago as well. This year, she’ll be first-chair cellist. She picked the cello in the fourth grade.

“Part of the charm is its size,” Ruth said. “For some reason, when you’re little it’s nice to play something big.”

Kevin and Ruth say they practice together and encourage each other.

“I try and be supportive, aside from all the viola jokes,” Ruth said.

Other Valley students in the festival are Monica Beach, a West Valley High School freshman percussionist; Katie Sterk, a Central Valley High School senior clarinet player; Julie Goodell, a University High School senior in the choir; and Nancy Houser, a West Valley senior in the choir.

Houser usually sings Christian music. She said she made her audition tape on a bad day and was surprised when she was picked.

“My choir class brought me flowers,” Houser said. “I almost bawled. I did bawl.”