The resounding sound of a rich French Horn tears through the halls of Mount Si High School. Junior Charlie Van Parys is back to claim his title as winner of the solo French Horn category of the Eastshore Music Region.
The Eastshore Music Region is composed of 12 high schools across Washington State, bringing musicians of all skill levels together to showcase their talent, whether they aim to advance to state or just want to perform out of their love of music.
At the Eastshore Instrumental Music Solo and Ensemble Festival, students can compete across 30 different categories, ranging from strings, winds, brass, and percussion instruments as well as a composition category. Students can perform solo or can play alongside their classmates in a group ensemble. Each performance is adjudicated by music educators, who grade the performances on a 5 point scale.
This year, 18 band and 2 orchestra students participated from Liberty. Out of the 20 students, Van Parys won the solo French Horn category, making him Liberty’s only student to earn his ticket to the state level competition.
Van Parys began his musical journey with the french horn in middle school and has stuck with it ever since.
“I picked up the horn at the instrument trial night at Maywood,” Van Parys said. “It’s just a super cool instrument – pretty rare and it has a great sound overall.”
In the past, Van Parys has consistently played at a high level, placing within the top three in the french horn category.
“This is my third year doing Solo and Ensemble and I’ve gotten much better every year,” Van Parys said. “In my first year, I got third place, and then second place in my second year.”
Despite his achievements, Van Parys felt worrisome leading up to his big performance.
“I was a little nervous because I played really badly the night before,” Van Parys said. “I was overstressing a lot and that affected my playing, but on Saturday, all the nerves went away and I played nicely.”
Van Parys learned crucial lessons while preparing for his performance.
“I learned to improve how to practice,” Van Parys said. “I need to practice for more time beforehand and then focus on smaller details closer to the performance so I don’t wear out my lips and get tired.”
Van Parys remains ambitious as the state level competition approaches in April and continues to set goals for the remainder of his high school career.
“At state, it’d be insane if I placed top three,” Van Parys said. “I want to do Solo and Ensemble again next year and I’ll probably be even better.”