The Arkansas All-State Music Conference comes to a close today with multiple concerts scheduled throughout the day that will feature both choir and instrumental performances.
The conference started on Wednesday at the Hot Springs Convention Center, and for it, hundreds of high school students from around the state have traveled to the Spa City. There will be nine concerts.
The first concerts of the day will be the jazz bands. Second Jazz Band will start at 10:45 a.m., and First Jazz Band will start at 11:30 a.m. Both with be held in Horner Hall.
Choir concerts will be held in Hall A. At noon, the TTBB Choir will perform. At 12:30 p.m., the SSAA Choir will perform, and at 1 p.m., the SATB Choir will perform.
Four concerts will be held in the arena. At noon, the orchestra will perform, with the Concert Band following at 1 p.m., the Symphonic Band at 2 p.m. and the Wind Symphony at 3 p.m.
Terri Whitworth, executive director of the Arkansas Choral Directors Association, said 400 choir students were selected to perform at the conference. Of those students, Whitworth said 200 are performing in the SATB, or mixed, choir, noting these are the "top 200 voices (from) high schools in the state."
The remaining 200 students are split between the SSAA, female, choir and the TTBB, boy, choir.
In selecting the 400 students, Whitworth said auditions were held at several levels, and "10,000 students auditioned at region level." Out of those students, 960 made it to the next level to audition again. Out of those came the final 400 performing today.
"It's not easy to make it here. If you do, it's quite an honor," Whitworth said, noting many of the performers who make it to the conference will end up pursuing college education and careers in music. "It's life-changing, something they'll never forget," she said.
The event is also a fun one, she said. "It's always the highlight of the of the year."
From Wednesday through Friday, the students have been rehearsing for today's concerts. The teachers, Whitworth said, have spent that time in professional development. Teachers love the event because of all the classes they attend, she said, and the "students just love it for the experience."
Local on 02/22/2020