Two senior students from Milford High School were featured at the 2013 Centex Honor Band Saturday night at McGregor High School.

Russell Clingenpeel and Rachel Strange were featured in the concert band and symphonic band, respectively.

The Centex Honor Band competition is exclusive to 1A and 2A schools in the Central Texas area. Students from approximately 20 schools audition to be a part of the junior high band, high school concert band or high school symphonic band.

The high school students competed Wednesday and then practiced together six hours on Saturday before performing that evening.

Khristy Strange, Rachel’s mother and assistant principal at MISD, said her daughter has made the competition every year since the seventh grade. She said this was Clingenpeel’s first year to compete.

Clingenpeel played tuba in the 70-member concert band, under the direction of Corey Ash, Director of Instrumental Activities, Trumpet and Music Education at Howard Payne University. They performed Star Spangled Banner, arranged by Jay Dawson; The Forge of Vulcan by Michael Sweeney; Engines of Resistance by Larry Clark; and Malaguena by Ernesto Lecuona/arranged by Michael Sweeney.

Strange played flute in the 62 member symphonic band under the direction of Robert Tucker, Dean, School of Music and Fine Arts at Howard Payne University. They performed Les Miserables arranged by Warren Barker; On a Hymnsong of Lowell Mason by David R Holsinger; and Bon Jovi Rock Mix by Wofgang Wossner.

The Milford High School band is under the direction of Mark Lucus. This is his first year at MISD.