Staff Writer
PRESQUE ISLE – Talented musicians and singers from throughout Aroostook County will be performing in this year’s All-Aroostook Music Festival, which will be held Saturday in Presque Isle.
According to Dan Schneider, SAD 1 music coordinator, the concert will be at 3 p.m. Jan. 19 in the lower gymnasium at Presque Isle High School.
Participating students are from Ashland, Caribou, Central Aroostook, Easton, Fort Fairfield, Fort Kent, Greater Houlton Christian Academy, Hodgdon, Houlton, Katahdin, Limestone, Madawaska, MSSM, Presque Isle, Southern Aroostook, Union 122, and Washburn.
The festival, hosted by PIHS and the Northern Maine Music Educators Association, will feature performances by bands and choruses from students at both the middle and high school levels.
“Those bands and choruses are made up of kids who have either been selected through an audition, which is the case for most of the groups,” said Schneider, “or nominated by their directors. It all depends on school size.
“Many of the students, like those in the middle school band, high school band, and high school chorus, auditioned in December to be part of this festival,” he said. “Approximately 300 musicians have been selected from 17 District VII school systems, so these students are among the best of the best.”
Each group – middle school chorus, middle school band, high school chorus and high school band – will perform for about a half hour.
In addition to performing in front of a large audience, the festival allows students to work with guest conductors.
“We have guest directors come in and work with the kids, which is a great experience for them,” Schneider said. “In some cases, the directors are renowned in the state. They’re top-notch directors who are revered. They will give the kids a different perspective on music.”
Tickets can be purchased Saturday, Jan. 19 in the PIHS lower gym lobby at 2:15 p.m. Prices are $4 for adults, $3 for students, and $10 for families. T-shirts and refreshments will also be sold in the cafeteria.
Schneider said attendees can expect a lot of wonderful music at Saturday’s concert.
“People will hear the best of the best performing,” he said. “I think people will be pleasantly surprised and shocked – if they’ve never been to one of these concerts – at the quality they will hear. The kids are phenomenal. It will be a real joy.”
