NOTE TO EDITORS:
To identify students selected for the WSMA High School State Honors Music Project in your circulation area, please refer to the student roster (pdf). Schools and cities are listed in zip code order for easy reference.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact:
Phone: 608-850-3566
Web: www.wsmamusic.org
WAUNAKEE, Wis. (June 4, 2010) – Some of Wisconsin’s finest young musicians are about to meet up for what could be the most rewarding musical experience of their lifetime – Wisconsin School Music Association’s (WSMA) 2010 High School State Honors Music Project.
The High School State Honors Music Project is designed to provide musically talented students with the opportunity to rehearse and perform with the nation's finest conductors in a professional and highly disciplined setting. Students are challenged to perform at their musical best throughout the rehearsal period, which culminates with an inspired performance, celebrating the reach of music education statewide.
"It is truly a celebration of students, family, school and community," said Tim Wurgler, WSMA program director.
More than 1,600 students in grades 9, 10 and 11 auditioned for 429 positions in the WSMA High School State Honors Music Project ensembles. The auditions were held in seven sites across the state this past February.
Students selected to participate in the WSMA High School State Honors Music Project will meet for the first time at a summer camp at UW-Green Bay. Camp dates are as follows: June 19-22, Band and Mixed Choir; June 23-26, Orchestra, Treble Choir and Jazz Ensemble. All Honors students reconvene in Madison in late October to perform at the annual Wisconsin State Music Conference. The Honors concerts celebrate the remarkable achievements of Wisconsin’s finest young musicians and are open to the public.
The 2010 WSMA High School State Honors conductors are:
| Band | Robert Szabo, director/officer in charge - 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing Band, Cherry Point, North Carolina. |
| Mixed Choir |
Greg Aune, professor of music - Gustavus Adolphus College, St. Peter, Minnesota. |
| Jazz Ensemble | Jeff Jarvis, director of jazz studies - Bob Cole Conservatory, Long Beach, California. |
| Orchestra |
Orcenith Smith, music director - De Pauw University Orchestras & Opera, Greencastle, Indiana. |
| Treble Choir | Robert Harris, director of choral organizations, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois. |
For more information about WSMA, go to www.wsmamusic.org.
# # #
Wisconsin School Music Association (WSMA) is a service organization with more than 1,000 member public and private schools. Each year, more than 220,000 student participants take the initiative to become involved in WSMA activities, including District and State Music Festivals, State Honors Music Project, State Marching Band Championships, Student Composition Project, Launchpad and Concert Festivals. WSMA, also owner and operator of the Wisconsin Center for Music Education, is governed by a board of directors made up of superintendents, principals and other officers from all over the state. WSMA believes music is a basic human need and that all children have the right to experience all that music offers them.