The musical talent and creativity of two Victor J. Andrew High School seniors are taking center stage this spring, thanks to original pieces each has composed.
Ashton Zopf wrote “Cheese Balls,” a piece performed by the Tinley Park school’s Queso Jazz Ensemble that earned an honorable mention at the Illinois Music Education Association’s composition contest. Dash Wilson wrote “Steps Into the Mouse’s Lair,” which won first place, and “Nightshade,” which won third place in the same contest. “Nightshade” will be performed by the school’s Wind Symphony on May 12.
Mark Iwinski, director of bands at Andrew since 2010, said it’s not common for students to compose pieces.
“Over the years, it has been maybe one or two students who express interest in this area of music making. Composing is a challenging art, but it is amazing to see students get a start on the ‘other side’ of creating and performing music,” he explained.
Always a proponent of his musicians, Iwinski encourages students who want to write their own music. “It is the full circle when students want to write and contribute to the art that they fell in love with when they started playing an instrument.”
He was pleased that Zopf and Wilson’s works were recognized at this year’s ILMEA contest. “I could not be more proud of these students and happy for them to receive accolades for their work and creativity,” he said.
Iwinski called it a “delight” to hear the “full circle moment” of the Queso Jazz Ensemble performing “Cheese Balls,” adding that the process “was collaborative and updates were made through the rehearsal process. That is music at its core, collaborating together to create something greater than the individuals.”
The student-led ensemble formed by Zopf, of Tinley Park, and its other members is separate from official school groups but sometimes performs with the traditional jazz bands or pre-concert music for other ensembles.
“We’ve been playing music together for the sake of learning how to play jazz music on our own,” said Zopf, whose primary instrument is the trombone. “Sort of discovering where we find passion applying music outside of what we find in school.”
Zopf said he wrote “Cheese Balls” as “a thank-you to them and a way to connect more with people in that band.” It’s the “first major piece of music I’ve written.”
Although he never intended to compete with the song because he wrote it for his friends, he was surprised and pleased it won an award. “I’m happy with the result. I’m just glad that other people have enjoyed it as much as we have.”
His mother, Alicja Zopf, called his piece “amazing, very uplifting” and said she and her husband, John, didn’t even know he was writing a song. “We were really, really surprised with the honorable mention, not because we don’t think he’s capable but because he just kept it under wraps and did it on his own time,” she explained. “It was definitely a proud moment.”
Zopf came up with the idea while in the shower and eventually realized he wanted to write it for Queso.
“It’s a little unorthodox, at least the way I think of it. A little rough around the edges. It’s upbeat. It’s definitely engaging, and it’s something that I hope other people can get up and dance to if they so choose,” he shared.
Zopf, who’s played with Andrew’s jazz bands, marching band, wind symphony and pit orchestra for the spring musical, worked on the piece off and on for the past several years, creating music for two trumpets, one trombone, three saxophones, drums and a bass guitar, adding that he was “never in a rush” to finish it.
Queso’s name inspired the piece’s title. “The name was probably one of the last additions to the piece itself, but it was sort of a group effort,” he said.
The ensemble performed “Cheese Balls” during a concert in March that raised more than $600 for Special Olympics. “We were very proud of the result,” Zopf said. “It was by no means perfect, but given that we’re all students, with responsibilities in areas of our school and community outside of music, we are very happy with how well the concert turned out.”
His friends enjoyed it and ensemble members think of it as an “inside joke” of sorts. “We are happy with what it’s become and what it’s come to represent – our unity as a band, our coming together as friends and our satisfaction that we find whenever we play music together.”
Zopf, who will major in engineering at the University of Illinois after graduation, will perform with Illinois All-Stars of Music for two weeks in Europe in June. He would like to be involved with music there, such as the jazz bands and concert bands. “Music’s been a large part of my life and I don’t anticipate that ever changing,” he said.
He called Wilson’s piece “very challenging” but said he thinks the Wind Symphony is up to it. “I’m excited to hear it,” noting that Wilson is “a wonderful composer.”
Someone else who’s excited to hear “Nightshade” performed is Iwinski. “It’s a large work with many different sections, so to hear the completed thought will be a very nice thing,” he said.
Wilson, a pianist for Andrew’s Jazz Ensemble and a member of its Wind Symphony and Chorale, has been working on the nine-minute piece since November 2024, when Iwinski challenged him as a sophomore to write a piece for the wind symphony by his senior year. He typically worked on it once a week for between two and four hours, ramping up his efforts in the summer of 2025.
“The initial writing phase where you’re just writing down the melody is a lot less time than when you’re orchestrating it,” the Orland Park resident said, adding that expanding the music for all the instruments took a lot of time.
“The idea came from the nightshade plant but more specifically the poisonous nightshade that is deadly. The thought process was that someone might encounter the nightshade and eat it, and some bad things might start to happen,” he said. “In the very beginning of the piece, it’s this lonely alto flute melody that’s kind of by itself, but later on all the instruments come in.”
Making sure all parts are interesting and playable can be a challenge, Wilson said. “It has to be fun to a certain extent. Nobody wants to sit there for 300 measures of rest and play one note. That’s a last-minute thing where I realize I haven’t added any music for the trombone.”
He said it’s been hard to get feedback from some of the musicians. “One of the players said he didn’t like his part and wouldn’t tell me what he didn’t like.”
Having changing time signatures adds to the piece’s complexity, so Wilson checked in with Iwinski before finalizing the composition. “I came in with a demo to my band director last spring and played it for him and asked him if it was too hard. I don’t know why he said ‘No’ because I think it was too hard,” he said. “It will take effort from everyone, and I feel confident in the ability of people in our wind symphony.”
WIlson, who plays oboe with the Wind Symphony, is looking forward to the concert.
“It’s going to be very exciting for it to be performed,” he said. “I’ll be able to have my piece performed and be in the ensemble and hear it as it’s happening. We’re planning to invite a bunch of family and friends. I hope it goes well because it would be so cool to have my friends up there.”
His mom already anticipates some tears at the concert. “There are parts that always choke me up. It’s got a lot of interesting emotional movement in it,” said Michelle Clairmont. “There are two places in the piece that put a little tear into my eye. I’m sure I’ll be punching myself live so I don’t bawl.”
She appreciates what this moment means for her son, who’s composed several pieces over the last few years.
“It’s a huge, huge opportunity for any composer to get their music performed, rehearsed and performed. Many times they only get a reading that is 15 minutes,” she said. “Honestly, I feel like once Dash entered into this journey and doing contests was for him to get this opportunity. It’s a huge honor and it’s a wonderful statement and commitment from the band.”
Wilson, who will major in computer science and music composition at Yale University, has other musical goals as well, such as writing a score for a video game.
“It’s obviously challenging to think about the obligations to have that work. Specifically for video games, you have to think about looping sections and have them not be repetitive and not have cuts so it sounds bad,” he explained. “You don’t realize a loop is good until you hear a bad one. I like the Mario Kart scores. They are very jazzy and have some pretty good looping and are pretty fantastic.”
The Wind Symphony performs at 7 p.m. May 12 at the school, 9001 W. 171st St. in Tinley Park. No tickets are required.
Melinda Moore is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.
