Students Take Stage in WSMA Middle Level State Honors Concert
NOTE TO EDITORS:
To identify students selected for the WSMA Honors 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. (October 5, 2007) – Wisconsin's most talented junior high and middle school music students (band, choir and orchestra) will perform in Madison on Saturday, October 27, at the Wisconsin School Music Association (WSMA) Middle Level State Honors Music Project concert.
Across the state, 306 students in grades six, seven and eight were selected in June 2007 from more than 1,400 who auditioned to participate in the WSMA program. Auditions included individual student performances and an ensemble class, taught by an Honors adjudicator. Selection was based on several aspects of music performance.
The WSMA State Honors Music Project brings Wisconsin's finest school musicians together to work with nationally known conductors in a professional setting. The 2007 WSMA Middle Level State Honors conductors are:
Choir: Randy Pagel, Las Vegas, Nevada.
Orchestra: Louis Bergonzi, Urbana, Illinois.
Band: James Ripley, Kenosha, Wisconsin.
"Middle Level Honors students continue to display advanced musical talents. Parents and teachers are amazed when they hear the quality of the State Honors ensembles. What is even more amazing is what happens when the Honors students bring their newly acquired skills and understanding back home to their peers in their school music programs," said Jeff Gretzinger, WSMA program director.
This year marks the 13th anniversary of the Middle Level State Honors Music Project. The Honors concert celebrates the remarkable achievements of Wisconsin's finest young musicians. Students will perform for an audience of more than 1,800 at their concert on Saturday, October 27, 1 p.m., at the Marriott Madison West hotel. Tickets can be purchased at the door.
Students in grades six through eight who attend a WSMA-member school and participate in the school's music program will be eligible to audition for the 2008 WSMA Middle Level Honors Project. Applications can be obtained by school music teachers at www.wsmamusic.org beginning December 7 and are due by February 7, 2008. Auditions will be held in April at seven locations throughout Wisconsin.
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Wisconsin School Music Association (WSMA) is a service organization with more than 950 member public and private schools. Each year, more than 220,000 students take the initiative to become involved in WSMA activities, including District and State Music Festivals, State Honors Projects, State Marching Band Championships 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.