Students Selected for WSMA High School State Honors Music Project
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Kevin Thays • Phone: 608-850-3566
Email: kthays@wmea.com •
Web: www.wsmamusic.org
WAUNAKEE, WI (June 11, 2004) – A total of 418 students from across Wisconsin have been selected to participate in the Wisconsin School Music Association (WSMA) 2004 High School State Honors Music Project. They will meet a UW-Green Bay June 19 – 26 for a music camp.
The WSMA State Honors Music Project brings Wisconsin’s best young musicians to work together with nationally-known conductors in a highly disciplined, professional setting. More than 2,180 students in grades 9, 10, and 11 auditioned for 418 positions in the prestigious WSMA High School State Honors Music Project Ensembles. Auditions were held at six sites across the state this past February.
“Honors students share a strong passion and dedication to making the best possible music. When they meet and work very hard together under the guidance of our nation’s top conductors, the musical results are incredible, and the friendships from Honors often last a lifetime,” said Linda Petersen, WSMA Director of Programs who coordinates the State Honors Project.
The Honors Summer Camp is only part of the overall experience. The 418 students from across Wisconsin who have been 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. The High School State Honors Orchestra, Treble Choir, and Jazz Ensemble will meet from June 19 – 22, and the High School State Honors Band and Mixed Choir will meet from June 23 – 26. All Honors students will 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 2004 WSMA High School State Honors Project conductors are:
| Orchestra | Dr. Louis Bergonzi, Associate Professor of Music
Education at the Eastman School of Music, Rochester, NY |
| Treble Choir | Dr. Hilary Apfelstadt, Professor of Music and
Director of Choral Activities at the Ohio State University, Columbus, OH |
| Jazz Ensemble | Dr. Lou Fischer, Professor of Music and Jazz Activities
Coordinator at Capital University, Columbus, OH |
| Band | Dr. Paula Holcomb, Director of Bands at the State
University of New York – Fredonia, NY |
| Mixed Choir | Dr. Timothy Stalter, Director of Choral Activities
at the University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA |
For more information about WSMA, go to www.wsmamusic.org
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The Wisconsin School Music Association is a service organization with more than 1,000 member public and private schools. Last year, more than 203,000 students participated in WSMA activities, including District and State Music Festivals, State Honors Music Projects, State Marching Band Championships, Student Composition Project and Concert Festivals. The Association is governed by a Board of Directors, made up of superintendents, principals, and music educators from all over Wisconsin. WSMA believes music is basic and all children have the right to experience all that music offers.