High school students fly high at ‘High Plains’ festival

The thirty-ninth annual High Plains Band and Choir Festival took place at Chadron State College Monday and Tuesday in Memorial Hall.

Participants were chosen by the CSC music department faculty through audition tapes that were submitted by high schools. The participants of the festival were high school students from the area around Chadron, as well as students from South Dakota. A number of students from Wyoming could not participate in the event because of weather conditions.

The CSC music department acknowledged that the festival was part of their service to the area. Through this event, high school students learn more about music by working with the college’s professors, while exploring CSC and opportunities for the future.

The participants arrived Sunday night and stayed in local-area hotels and motels, while some schools chose to commute.

The festival began early Monday morning, when the students started rehearsing. “They’ve been rehearsing diligently,” said Sandy Schaefer, professor of music.  The CSC Concert Choir, Wind Symphony, and the vocal ensemble, the ‘Birds’ performed for the high school students as part of the festival.

A dance was also scheduled for the high school students Monday night; however, due to weather conditions, it was canceled.

The events of the Festival included a choir reading and band reading session for high school directors to help them choose new music to sing and play, as well as clinics from music faculty for the directors of the high schools.

The festival concluded with the final concert, which took place 5 p.m., Tuesday, and was open to the public free of charge. The concert consisted of two parts: first, there was a performance from the two choirs – High Plains Women’s Choir, and the High Plains Honor Choir. The women’s choir was conducted by Una Taylor, assistant professor of music, accompanied by Laurie Norman on piano, and Sandy Shaefer, on conga drums. The high plains honor choir was directed by Joel Schreuder, Associate Professor and Department Chair of Music Department, accompanied by Dr. James Margetts, associate professor of music, on the piano. Students who participated in the Honor Choir for either three or four years received awards.

During the intermission, students helped reset the stage for the performance of the Wind Symphony. The High Plains Festival Band, under the baton of Associate Professor Adam Lambert, performed an arrangement of “Superman Returns.” While the band was playing this selection, Lambert pulled out a Superman cape with a letter “L” on it, and put it on.

The guest conductor, John Wacker, music department chair of Western State College, conducted the symphony band as well as the High Plains Honor Band. Before the band performed its final piece, students who had played in the honor band for at least three years were presented with awards.