The 70th annual Atchison County Band Day was held Monday, February 3, 2025, at Rock Port High School. The county band students, as well as choir members, joined their sounds together to present a concert for community members, family and friends.
The county band and choir students performed under the direction of guest director William Sutton, Northwest Missouri State University Assistant Professor of Music and Concert Band Director.
The 70th annual Atchison County Band Day was held Monday, February 3, 2025, at Rock Port High School. The county band students, as well as choir members, joined their sounds to present a concert for community members, family and friends. The students practiced all day under the direction of guest director William Sutton, Northwest Missouri State University Assistant Professor of Music and Concert Band Director, and then performed that night. The band played: “Rough-Riders March” by Karl L. King, arranged by James Swearingen; “Rippling Watercolors” by Brian Balmages; “Breakthrough” by Tyler S. Grant; and “Dark Side of the City” by Joshua A. Idio. The choir sang: “4 Chords,” arranged by Mark Brymer; “Dona Nobis Pacem,” arranged by Hal Hopson; and “Music Changes the World” by Jim Papoulis.
Guest conductor Dr. Sutton also teaches brass and music theory at NWMSU and spends his summers teaching low brass and music theory at the New England Music Camp in Sidney, Maine. He has performed with the Kansas City Symphony, Grand Rapids Symphony, Topeka Symphony Orchestra, Saint Joseph Symphony, Lansing Symphony Orchestra, Orchestra of Northern New York, Holland Symphony Orchestra, and Capital Region Wind Ensemble. Dr. Sutton has been invited to perform and present at The Midwest Clinic, International Tuba Euphonium Association Conferences, Ne-braska Music Education As-sociation Conference, and has appeared as a soloist with many college and university ensembles throughout the United States. Dr. Sutton has competed and adjudicated at the Leonard Falcone International Euphonium and Tuba Festival and serves on the festival’s board. As a guest conductor and clinician, he has been invited to work with bands throughout the Northeast and Midwest United States. Dr. Sutton is an Eastman Musical Instruments artist, performing on the Willson 2900, Eastman 836, and Eastman 866.
Members of the Atchison County band include: flutes – Kelsey Avrett, Amelia Larson, Anna Ohlensehlen, Danika Agnew, Star Hankins, Bresayda Jimenez, Macy Stepp, Bailey Wennihan, and Delainee White; clarinets – Audrey Dougherty, Maddie Wilroy, Katelynn Rouse, Lexi Brown, Rhoni Caudill, Abbie Harms, Savanna Lindsay, Hallie Riggins, and Taya Windham; bass clarinets – Leo Grimes and Erin Eyman; alto saxophones – Cooper Daugherty, Cowen O’Riley, Chloe Vernon, Cole Anderson, Emily Gebhards, Velicity Hegstrom, and Conner Horstmeier; tenor saxophone – Jaymes Herron and Kamryn Brown; baritone saxophone – Joaquin Hill; trumpets – Ryan Lucas, Brandon Athen, Isabella Kroeger, Austin Helfers, Sydnee Bruns, Teahen Hannah, Finn Hurst, Jax Peregrine, Ben Rolf, Lizzie Schlueter, and Quin Staten; trombones – Alex Schuster, Mason Kingery, Luke Gebhards, and Gabe Harms; baritones – Wyatt Huntley, Kendall Kingery, and KayDee Duering; tubas – Levi Lucas, Johnny Pickard, Owen DeRosier, and Sophia Riley; bass guitars – Lily Wilroy and Luke Morey; percussion – Anden Cohn, Arianna Shimmel, Stella VanGundy, Kennedi Seiter, Eliza Mason, Amelia Mason, Sophia Storm, Luke Swinehart, Clayton Vernon, Trent Frohn, Kenneth Kirkpatrick, Chase Gayler, Tyler Duering, Treyton Brown, River Dow, Connor Morton, Jayden Scott, Isaac Vette, and Brody Wennihan.
Members of the Atchison County choir include: Audrey Dougherty, Hadleigh Jones, Mya Welch, Arianna Shimmel, Makaila Pruett, Kennedi Seiter, Lily Wilroy, Leo Grimes, Stella VanGundy, Maddie Wilroy, Isa Kroeger, Millie Ripley, Katelynn Rouse, Lexi Stanton, Lexi Brown, Danika Agnew, Jeremy Bomar, Kamryn Brown, Sydnee Bruns, Brezie Bywater, Bella Bywater, Rhoni Caudill, Beth Clark, Haylee Clark, River Dow, Dylan Drummond, Abbie Harms, Finn Hurst, Danni Irvine, Jayla Irvine, Zoe Madron, Harley Mitchell, Lizzie Schlueter, Quin Staten, Macy Stepp, Bailey Wennihan, Brody Wennihan, Delainee White, Azlynn Wiley, and Taya Windham.
The band and choir directors of the Atchison County students are: Debra Wyatt, Fairfax; Melody Barnett and Nathaniel Wehmeyer, Tarkio; and Abby Palmer, Rock Port.
