KMEA All-State 56A Band

All-State 56A Band
Century II Concert Hall
Sat - Mar. 1, 2025 - 5:00 PM
Interview with clinician Darren Lin

Darren Lin
2025 KMEA All-State 56A Band Conductor
Captain Darren Y. Lin joined "The President's Own" United States Marine Band in July 2019 as a percussionist. He was appointed Assistant Director in July 2021 and commissioned to the rank of 1st Lieutenant in January 2022. He was promoted to the rank of Captain in September 2023 and appointed Associate Director in December 2023.

Capt. Lin is a 2009 graduate of Hershey High School in Pennsylvania. He earned a bachelor's degree in percussion performance and a teacher's certificate in 2014 from the University of Michigan (U-M) in Ann Arbor; a master's degree in percussion performance and literature in 2016 from the Eastman School of Music at the University of Rochester in New York; and pursued additional studies at the New England Conservatory in Boston. His principal percussion teachers were J. William Hudgins of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, Michael Burritt of the Eastman School of Music, and Joseph Gramley and Jonathan Ovalle of U-M. He also has studied conducting with Christopher James Lees, Michael Haithcock, and Rodney Dorsey.

Prior to joining "The President's Own," Capt. Lin was an active educator and performer. He was the adjunct instructor of percussion at Lebanon Valley College in Annville, Pa., and performed frequently with the Buffalo Philharmonic in Buffalo, N.Y., the New Haven Symphony in Connecticut, and the New World Symphony in Miami. He has performed under the batons of conductors like Valery Gergiev, Michael Tilson Thomas, Andris Nelsons, and JoAnn Falletta. He is equally at home performing contemporary music, having performed with the NakedEye Ensemble and both founding and leading the group [sunflower]. He has worked closely with composers Steve Reich and John Luther Adams, and has premiered works by Dave Hollinden, Molly Joyce, Angélica Negrón, Randall Woolf, and Chris Vu.

As Assistant Director, Capt. Lin's responsibilities include conducting the Marine Band and Chamber Orchestra in their winter and spring concert series and summer concerts on the National Mall as well as at ceremonies in the national capital region and at the White House. Additionally, he serves as a supervisor for the acclaimed fall and winter Chamber Music Series, which features the virtuoso musicians of "The President's Own," as well as all pre-concert music.

2024-25

Piccolo
  1. Keith Thompson, Junction City
Flute
  1. Jacqueline Chang, Overland Park-Blue Valley
  2. Agnes Choi, Manhattan
  3. Lizzie Herron, Overland Park-Blue Valley Northwest
  4. Ashwika Balaji, Overland Park-Blue Valley West
  5. Lauren Snead, Derby
  6. Nicole Wassom, Olathe-Northwest
  7. Sydney Young, Overland Park-Blue Valley West
  8. Aurelia Fuehne, Olathe-East
  9. Savannah Dunkley, Olathe-North
  10. Carson Brooks, Shawnee-Shawnee Mission Northwest
  11. Allison Jones, Overland Park-Blue Valley Northwest
  12. Brooke Arnold, Overland Park-Blue Valley
  13. Alt. - Andrew Thompson, Overland Park-Blue Valley
Oboe
  1. Mara Pederson, Maize
  2. Toby Kwan, Lawrence-Free State
  3. Fin Smajda, De Soto
  4. Lucia Ohly, Shawnee-Shawnee Mission Northwest
  5. Alt. 1 - Isabelle Maxwell, Manhattan
  6. Alt. 2 - Gwendolyn Ouellette, Pittsburg
Bassoon
  1. Madison Gener, Overland Park-Blue Valley Northwest
  2. Austen Williams, Wichita-Northwest
  3. Alexa Rieder, Gardner-Edgerton
  4. Elliot Loo, Overland Park-Blue Valley
  5. Alt. 1 - Grace Maxwell, Manhattan
  6. Alt. 2 - Hava Davis, Tecumseh-Shawnee Heights
B-flat Clarinet
  1. Elise Rathmel, Lawrence
  2. Kara Bang, Junction City
  3. Mete Berkoz, Overland Park-Blue Valley Northwest
  4. Jack Koebbe, Shawnee Mission-South
  5. Hari Rangaraj, Overland Park-Blue Valley
  6. Andrew Welk, Andover
  7. Calista Hubler, Olathe-Northwest
  8. Andy Murdock, Overland Park-Blue Valley Northwest
  9. Kara Mauer, Overland Park-Blue Valley West
  10. Madeline Bishop, Overland Park-Blue Valley North
  11. Clara Becker, Olathe-Northwest
  12. Allison Phillips, Overland Park-Blue Valley
  13. Jonathan Moon, Overland Park-Blue Valley Northwest
  14. Jack Eaton, Shawnee Mission-North
  15. Sahara Garcia, Pittsburg
  16. Chris Dunn, Andover
  17. Haley Abate, Olathe-Northwest
  18. Bailey Kinkelaar, Overland Park-Blue Valley Northwest
  19. Katie Sue Chapin, Shawnee-Shawnee Mission Northwest
  20. Logan Durham, Spring Hill
  21. Angel Samano, Olathe-North
  22. Maxwell Diediker, Olathe-Northwest
  23. Taylor Holland, Olathe-East
  24. Gabriel Griffith, Maize-South
  25. Alt. 1 - Brody DeLeve, Shawnee Mission-South
  26. Alt. 2 - Wyatt Freed, Lawrence
Bass Clarinet
  1. Owen Dunkley, Olathe-North
  2. Beck Scoggins, Spring Hill
  3. Ash Hattrup, Shawnee Mission-East
  4. Reece Toben, Overland Park-Blue Valley North
  5. Alt. 1 - Jackson Harader, Topeka-Washburn Rural
  6. Alt. 2 - Evelyn Matthys, Junction City
Contra Clarinet
  1. Brady Smotrilla, Olathe-East
  2. Alt. - Aiden Rodriguez, Olathe-West
Alto Saxophone
  1. Eli Moon, Shawnee Mission-East
  2. Liam Pfenninger, Derby
  3. Connor Sternberger, Maize
  4. Henry Millar, Wichita-Northwest
  5. Alt. 1 - Cole Whitcomb, Maize-South
  6. Alt. 2 - Kathryn Viera, Topeka-Seaman
Tenor Saxophone
  1. Yash Saraff, Overland Park-Blue Valley Northwest
  2. Aryav Biyala, Overland Park-Blue Valley West
  3. Alt. - Gregor White, Shawnee Mission-North
Baritone Saxophone
  1. Gerardo Lozoya-Gonzalez, Kansas City-Turner
  2. Alt. - Max McMahon, Shawnee Mission-East
Trumpet
  1. Julian Ramcharan, Topeka-West
  2. Julia Sheridan, Overland Park-Blue Valley Northwest
  3. Jackson Nichols, Overland Park-Blue Valley
  4. Braden Wapp, Maize
  5. Jaxon Roszel, Maize
  6. Jonah Kierre, Olathe-South
  7. Zephan Frank, Olathe-Northwest
  8. Kaiden Cook, Topeka-West
  9. Lane Benton, Olathe-West
  10. Matias Bledsoe, Topeka-West
  11. Carter Prost, Leavenworth
  12. Kyelie Arb, Topeka-Washburn Rural
  13. Matthew Barber, De Soto
  14. Devin Kaminski, Leavenworth
  15. Luke Wakeman, Overland Park-Blue Valley North
  16. Alt. 1 - Everett Jiao, Overland Park-Blue Valley Northwest
  17. Alt. 2 - Sophie Hull, De Soto
Horn
  1. James Dahl, Hutchinson
  2. Ellie Okediji, Olathe-North
  3. Riley Carlson, Overland Park-Blue Valley
  4. Aydan Chavez, Liberal
  5. Eli Johnson, Olathe-Northwest
  6. Ben Cobb, Olathe-South
  7. Trent Bechtel, Olathe-Northwest
  8. Mallory Rogers, Lawrence-Free State
  9. Alt. 1 - Addison Petrik, Valley Center
  10. Alt. 2 - Chase Smith, Maize-South
Trombone
  1. Rhys Savage, Olathe-Northwest
  2. Adrian Rodriguez, Dodge City
  3. Trek Wedel, Newton
  4. Victoria McClure, Valley Center
  5. Joseph Studnicka, Olathe-Northwest
  6. Reuben Fick, Shawnee Mission-South
  7. Liam Jones, Spring Hill
  8. Michael Castillo, Andover
  9. Lilly Battese, Olathe-East
  10. Jay Ann, Overland Park-Blue Valley West
  11. Alt. 1 - Neil Clark, Overland Park-Blue Valley West
  12. Alt. 2 - Wilson Addis, Derby
Euphonium
  1. Zachary Sonsthagen, Overland Park-Blue Valley West
  2. Dylan Dobratz, Overland Park-Blue Valley Southwest
  3. Gavin Winsor, Olathe-North
  4. CJ Vohland, Olathe-South
  5. Alt. - Grady Wall, Olathe-South
Tuba
  1. AJ Vasa, Overland Park-Blue Valley
  2. Benjamin Teichler, Newton
  3. Ethan Moneypenny, Junction City
  4. Matthew Bryan, Gardner-Edgerton
  5. Zane Lauer, Shawnee-Mill Valley
  6. Blake Kelly, Topeka-Washburn Rural
  7. Alt. 1 - Jacob Cox, Overland Park-Blue Valley
  8. Alt. 2 - John Dunbar, Overland Park-Blue Valley North
String Bass
  1. Alexander Hillebrand, Hays
Percussion
  1. Kimball Morris, Manhattan
  2. Shaun Wall, Overland Park-Blue Valley West
  3. Michelle Young, Overland Park-Blue Valley West
  4. Audrey Schoenig, Spring Hill
  5. Iason Wilson-Brown, Shawnee Mission-South
  6. Ben Pittman, Manhattan
  7. Rylan Cobos, Overland Park-Blue Valley
  8. Ellie Piezuch, Shawnee Mission-South
  9. Nick Pedigo, Olathe-Northwest
  10. Alt. 1 - Camden Acheson, Olathe-East
  11. Alt. 2 - Willa Lorenson, Valley Center
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