Uni's 2008 all-state musicians (clockwise from bottom left): Jennifer Roloff, Daniel Borup, Ethan Berl, and Lucy Zhang. Gargoyle photo by Anna Cangellaris

FOUR UNI STUDENTS have made the list of top high school musicians in Illinois.

Senior Ethan Berl (tenor I) and junior Daniel Borup (bass I) have been named to the Illinois Music Educators Association's all-state honors chorus.

The IMEA also chose seniors Jennifer Roloff (oboe) and Lucy Zhang (violin I) for the all-state orchestra.

The students will perform at the 2008 IMEA All-State Conference in Peoria, which will be held from Jan. 30 to Feb. 2.

In addition, Berl won third place in the IMEA's statewide music composition contest. Berl was honored in the keyboard solo category for a piece he wrote titled “Fantasy” in homage to a famous Ravel waltz.

The multi-talented Berl — who played the lead male role in Uni's fall play, "The Diary of Anne Frank," and has received numerous honors for his musicianship, acting, and oratory — will receive his award and judges' critiques at a special session and performance for young composers during the IMEA conference.

Uni's four all-state musicians advanced from the district level. They were among 16 Uni students (11 high school, five subfreshmen) who received all-district honors in October and who performed in district festivals in November (Nov. 3 for jazz musicians and Nov. 17 for all others).

Berl was the only Uni musician to be honored twice, as a tenor in the District III chorus and a pianist in the District III jazz band.

Last year 17 Uni students (14 high school, three subfreshmen) were all-district and six were all-state. Subfreshmen, who compete at the junior level, do not advance beyond district status.

This will be Zhang’s third year and Roloff's and Berl’s second performing at the All-State Conference.

"The people there are really good and [the concert] is huge," Zhang said. "We have the band, chorus, and orchestra playing in this enormous ice rink in the Civic Center."

The conference will consist of two days of rigorous rehearsal in preparation for the day of concerts.

According to the IMEA's official site, the honors chorus will perform the following numbers:

• "And Then Shall Your Light Break Forth" (from "Elijah") — Felix Mendelssohn
• "The Conversion of Saul" — Z. Randall Stroope
• "The Snow" (Op. 26, No. 1) — Edward Elgar
• "Tu Es Petrus" (No. III of "Quatre Motets," Op. 10) — Maurice Durufle
• "Danny Boy" — Z. Randall Stroope
• "Sarba pe Scaun" ("Dance On A Chair") — Alexandru Pascanu

The all-state orchestra will perform:

• "Die Meistersinger von Nurnberg: Prelude" — Richard Wagner
• "Prelude to Ernani" — Giuseppe Verdi
• "Symphony No. 1," Op. 39 (4th Movement) — Jean Sibelius

Uni's four honorees share an evident enthusiasm in anticipation of the conference.

“It's great getting to see all of these kids who are so talented and getting together to create music that may or may not be possible in just local groups,” said Berl. “Last year, the first time the whole group sang together it was like, wow, we can sing just about anything. It was really exciting.”

Another view of Ethan Berl at the District III Festival. Gargoyle photo by Michelle Gao