The John Kamarer Youth Soloist Competition
Before his untimely death, John Kamarer was a long time member of the Peoria Municipal Band playing alto saxophone and serving as the band manager. John was also the band director at Central Junior High in District 86 for many years. His love of music and his desire to inspire young musicians lives on through this annual competition.
The 2022 John Kamarer Youth Soloist Competition was held on Saturday, June 4th at Dingeldine Music Center on the Bradley University campus. Congratulations to the 2022 winner, Noah Johnson. Noah will be a senior this fall at Washington Community High School, where he has participated in Symphonic Winds, the Marching Panthers, and the Jazz Ensemble. He participated in the ILMEA district 4 honor band his previous three years in high school, as well as being selected for all-state his sophomore year. Noah won a soloist award at the Illinois State University jazz festival this spring and has received a best in room award at the IHSA Solo & Ensemble contest on an alto saxophone solo and a saxophone quartet. Outside of school, he has enjoyed playing with the Original Skazz Band for the past two years. He began playing tenor saxophone in 5th grade, and had the privilege of studying classical saxophone with Keith Zimmerman for a little over a year entering high school, during which he picked up the alto sax. Since Mr. Zimmerman’s untimely passing, Noah has been studying with Doug Stewart. Noah will attend a 4-year college after graduation, majoring in mechanical engineering while continuing to participate in music ensembles and play in his free time.