There were many firsts for Whitefish student musicians at the 56th annual AA State Orchestra Festival in Bozeman earlier this month. 

Whitefish High School was the only A school invited, the Whitefish freshmen were the only freshmen in attendance and the honor of concert master went to a Whitefish student for the first time in the festival's long history. 

Soaring numbers of student musicians led Whitefish High School to create two orchestras this year, the Sinfonia for freshmen and the Camerata for grades 10-12.  

Summer Boggess, Whitefish orchestra teacher, took 61 students to the festival, the largest group of all the AA schools at the event. A total of 164 students participated. 

For the festival, AA schools are split into groups and meet at a host school. This year, Whitefish, Belgrade and Gallatin traveled to Bozeman for two days of rehearsals and performances. 

Two guest conductors, one from the Bozeman Symphony and one retired from the Great Falls Symphony, gave the students complicated pieces of music to learn in January, then worked with the young musicians at the festival. 

When they arrived at the festival, orchestras from the various schools were combined to form two new groups. For the Whitefish freshmen, this meant sharing a music stand with a junior or senior from Belgrade or Gallatin for two days of rehearsal. 

“They'd never rehearsed for that long. They just figured it out,” Boggess said of the Whitefish freshman. “Their conductor said they were the kindest kids he’d ever worked with.” 

While Boggess said she expected the older students to stand the heat, since they already lead the orchestra, it was exciting to see the freshman handle the pressure. 

“They did really well,” she said. “I was proud of them.” 

Whitefish’s Camerata Orchestra joined with the Bozeman High School Orchestra and, after rehearsing with the guest conductor, students performed on Tuesday night.  

The festival is less of a competition and more of a celebration of the musicians’ skill and talent. Monday night was an Orchestra Showcase where each school performed for the other schools. 

Boggess said it is inspiring to see students put together complex music in just two days. 

Senior Jackson Schindler is the principal first violin of the Camerata orchestra and added to Whitefish High School’s superlatives in Bozeman. 

“He actually sat concert master in the combined festival orchestra which, I think, is the first time a Whitefish student has sat concert master for this combined festival,” Boggess said. “That's a really big deal.” 

TWO BUSSES carrying the 61 orchestra students and eight adults left Whitefish on Sunday, Feb. 2, for the two-day festival. They were expecting to return on Wednesday. Instead, the group had what Boggess called “a great adventure.” 

“There was a huge snowstorm that came over that pass so we had to stay another night,” she said. “Everyone was pretty much stranded -- cars in ditches, jackknifed semis on the pass.” 

They had to switch hotels for the extra night, which meant braving a 2-mile trip in the brutal weather and loading and unloading all the large instruments, including double basses and cellos, from the bus. 

“We're in a foot of snow, trying to load these buses and everyone just did their part,” Boggess said. “The kids were just so positive and flexible and looking around for how they could be helpful.” 

“No one whined,” she added. “Orchestra kids are just awesome.”

The musicians and their impeccable timing were able to travel the following morning, just before another large storm moved into the Bozeman area on Friday.