Members of LT orchestra gather for a group photo after performing at the ILMEA festival at Elmhurst University on Nov. 18. (Klos/LION).

Forty six LT students have been selected in October by audition to participate in the ILMEA District ensembles. The all-district festival brings together talented young musicians from across the state, showcasing their skills in Choir, Band, Jazz Band, Orchestra, and Vocal Jazz Ensemble.
The state is divided into nine separate districts. LT is located in District One, which includes other schools in the city of Chicago and the majority of the Southern and Western suburbs.
District One alone reviews auditions from about 2,500  students. There are more than 80 high schools who participate in auditions on a yearly basis in District One, band director Mark Dahl said.
The competitive process ensures that the best get the opportunity to represent their school at the district and potentially the state level, Dahl said. Students who are chosen receive their music weeks in advance in order to fully prepare their performance.
“The top players in the state are selected to play in the ILMEA all-state band, which is comparable to an all-star team formed with [musicians] from all districts,” percussionist Xander Buckhalter ‘24 said. “The opportunity to represent LT at the festival is really important, and I’m excited to inspire younger musicians as well.”
Student musicians also get the opportunity to learn from and collaborate with local university and college conductors.
Violist Lucy Dillenbeck ‘24 learned an excerpt from Mozart’s thirty-fifth symphony as well as an excerpt from “Nabucco,” which is a four-act opera composed by Giuseppe Verdi, Dillenbeck said. The process of submitting auditions is mostly online, where student musicians can upload their video auditions in order to ultimately get selected to participate in the district ensembles at Elmhurst University on Nov. 18. 
“It’s an unforgettable experience to play such high-level pieces with extremely talented conductors and other musicians,” Dillenbeck ‘24 said. “Collaborating with others during the ensembles is always a great way to get better.”
In addition to the ILMEA festival, the Wind Ensemble is gearing up for state competitions as well as the national concert band festival later in the school year.
Closer to spring, the band will prepare their best 10 minutes of music to audition for the Illinois high school band competition called the ‘Illinois Super State Competition’, Dahl said. “Our best 10 minutes of music will be submitted during the spring, which we hope will compete as one of the best in the state.”