Ellsworth students earn spots in Lions of Michigan All-State Band
ELLSWORTH — Three Northern Michigan students from Ellsworth High School auditioned and landed a spot in this year’s Lions of Michigan All-State Band, along with about 40 other top student performers from across Michigan.
Calista Hoeksema, a junior, Patrick Puroll and Jürgen Griswold, both seniors, are active members of their high school band as well as several community service organizations, including S.A.F.E in Northern MI, Grand Traverse Regional Community Foundation Youth Advisory Council, National Honor Society and the Little Reading Buddies Literacy Program. These three students developed an early love for music when they started performing together during elementary school as members of the Dorothy Gerber Strings Youth Orchestra.
The Lions of Michigan All-State Band’s motto is “We Serve Through Music” and as a service organization, performs for children's hospitals, veteran homes, schools and other places where music can help brighten days and bring smiles.
As members of the Lions of Michigan All State Band, Hoeksema, Puroll and Griswold will be representing Michigan and the U.S. at the 106th annual Lions Clubs International Convention in Melbourne, Australia. They will also represent Northern Michigan during this summer’s Lions International Parade of Nations, which boasts more than 10,000 delegates, where they will be performing with over 100 other Lions clubs bands from around the globe.
In addition to playing in the parade, the Lions of Michigan All-State Band is also scheduled to perform at the Children’s Hospital in Melbourne, a primary school and at an Australian Football League game. They are also anticipating performing on their return trip through California at Disneyland and Universal Studios Hollywood to round out their 11-day tour.
Band members are responsible for paying their own trip fee. The total trip cost is $6,299 for each musician and includes all transportation, meals, lodging, tours and admissions, travel uniforms, audio recordings of performances and other memorabilia.
If you are interested in helping these students meet their fundraising goals, visit their GoFundMe page at gofund.me/994e95aa.
This article originally appeared on The Petoskey News-Review: Ellsworth students earn spots in Lions of Michigan All-State Band
