Rhinelander student to perform in Honors Choir
RHS Junior Faith Bartelt will be participating in the WSMA Honors Choir this Thursday in Madison
Courtesy of Rhinelander School District
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) 2015 High School State Honors Music Project. One of these talented music students is Faith Bartelt, currently a junior at Rhinelander High School.
Auditions were held in seven sites across the state in February. Of the more than 1,600 auditions, 427 students in grades 9, 10 and 11 were invited to be part of the WSMA High School State Honors Music Project ensembles. The last time a music student from Rhinelander High School was selected to participate in these honors events was in 2007. Faith auditioned against students from all division schools, big and small, across the state and was selected based on her vocal and musical ability, as well as sight singing. This Thursday, Oct. 29 at 8 p.m., Faith Bartelt will join many of the best young musicians in Wisconsin for a concert with the WSMA Honors Treble Choir at the Madison Overture Center.
Students that are selected to participate in the WSMA High School State Honors Music Project met for the first time this summer at an intensive four-day camp at UW-Green Bay. This WSMA Camp is a unique and essential component to the High School Honors Project experience, as it is the first opportunity the selected students have a chance to see their music, meet their conductor and rehearse as a newly formed 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 commemorate music teachers throughout Wisconsin, many of whom will attend the event in conjunction with the annual Wisconsin State Music Conference.
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.
“The difference between the WSMA High School State Honors Music Project and other programs like it is this: students come to camp having not seen the music. They learn it with the help of section coaches and the guidance of a conductor. After camp is over, the students then return home and continue to put the finishing touches on the music, working from the foundation of camp. As a result, the concert is more than talented students playing together in an ensemble, it’s a musical experience that can never be recreated in any other way,” said Tim Wurgler, WSMA program director. “It is this synergy of effort that is the purpose and experience of the WSMA High School State Honors Project.”
The WSMA Honors Concerts are open to the public, and Wisconsin Public Television will be broadcasting the concert sometime in late November. Go to wpt.org to watch clips from last year’s concert and to find listing times for this year’s concert. The Overture Center is located at 201 State Street in Madison. Tickets are $17.50 at the door. For more information about the WSMA State Honors Music Project and other programs, visit www.wsmamusic.org.
Leave a reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.