Going out with a bang: senior Lane Latonsky kicked off her last year of high school with a performance at the Gustavus Adolphus College 30th Annual Bjorling Music Festival. Latonsky was part of an ensemble at the festival, which occurred on Nov. 4-5.

The Bjorling Music Festival is an intensive retreat that occurs every year, and it consists of workshops, rehearsals, and one gigantic concert. Students are nominated by their school teachers to attend, and the festival brings together student musicians from all over the upper Midwest. This year Latonsky was one of those selected. “The best part of the festival was getting to play with an experienced director and being able to meet new people and see their methods of playing,” Latonsky said. At the festival, Lane performed four pieces with her ensemble, including Sousa’s Minnesota March.

Paul Kile, the conductor of Concert Band, was the teacher to nominate Latonsky. “She has a great work ethic and is sincere in playing her best,” Kile said. He has known Latonsky since her freshman year when she first started in high school band.

Latonsky has been playing the clarinet since the middle of 7th grade, and she picked up the contrabass clarinet a while later; in fact, she said her ex-boyfriend was the one to teach her. With all of her schoolwork, she sometimes isn’t able to find the time to practice, but her daily goal is about 45 minutes to an hour. Now that the fall theatre season is over, though, she thinks she’ll be able to fit in more practice. Her motivation for practicing is “getting to improve and be the best I can be.”

On top of her music, Latonsky is an AP student and manages the wrestling team. She plans to play in a marching band in college, but she doesn’t think she will study music. For the remaining time she has left here, Latonsky wants to leave a good mark and be a role model for the rest of Concert Band. “My goals are to do well in school and be able to be successful and participate as much as possible,” Latonsky said.