Sophomore violinist Lukas Wrede felt confident about his performance after winning Best in Site at this year’s solo ensemble competition.

According to orchestra director Miriam Edgar, student participation was strong and Wrede’s award is a distinct accomplishment.

“Overall students were happy,” Edgar said. “Lukas Wrede won Best in Site. It is a really cool honor, only eight students throughout the entire competition receive Best in Site.”

Edgar said the large amount of preparation for the event allowed for the night to flow without complications.

“Solo ensemble went very well. It was much smoother than last year,” Edgar said. “Last year there were more spurts of people and this year it was more constant, but not as stressful. This year we were really prepared before the contest started.”

According to sophomore Olivia Gredler, she and sophomore Ilana Meisler earned a superior rating at the competition and were pleased with their duet performance.

“(Solo ensemble) went a lot better this year. I was a lot more relaxed and I think I played a lot better,” Gredler said.

Edgar said the varying groups of judges at the competition allow for new perspectives.

“We had a slightly different group of judges this year which I personally think is a really positive thing. When you have the same judges every year it gets monotonous,” Edgar said.

According to Wrede, the judges’ advice benefits musicians because it fosters improvement.

“The feedback (the judges) give is really good. If you know a song and you come to solo ensemble and play that song they’ll give you good feedback to help you improve,” Wrede said.

The orchestra’s spring concert will take place at 7 p.m. May 31 in the high school Auditorium.