WABASH, Ind. – The Wabash Valley Music Association’s (WVMA) Honors Band and Choir will mark its 45th year with its performance on Fri., March 8, 2019 at 7:30 p.m. at the Honeywell Center. This concert is sponsored in part by the Howard M. Garver Endowment and the Larry and Anne Curless Endowment for Honors Band and Choir.
The Honors Band & Choir Concert is important to Wabash County because it uplifts the musical and artistic talent of high school students in our county. Every spring, the most talented high school musicians and vocalists are brought together to present the public concert at the Honeywell Center. Students from Northfield, Southwood, Wabash, and Manchester high schools spend weeks rehearsing for the riveting performance that showcases the tremendous amount of young talent in our area.
The Honors Band and Choir concert provides students who have excelled in music education the opportunity to work with and perform with professional guest conductors and directors. The experience broadens the students’ experience and allows them to see how different music leaders work and convey their expectations. Through this program, the WVMA provides artistic exposure and enrichment to area students.
Choral students who are participating this year will perform under the direction of Dr. Andrew Crow, director of choral activities at Ball State University. Dr. Crow received the 2017 Mayor’s Arts Award for Arts Leadership in the Muncie community. Recent opportunities as guest conductor include the Muncie Symphony Orchestra and performances in North Carolina, California, Ohio, and South Dakota. Crow earned his Doctor of Musical Arts in Conducting degree at the University of Minnesotafollowing degrees from Temple University and The Ohio State University.
Band students will be conducted by Jonathan Sweet, assistant professor of bands at Purdue University. In this role, he is the assistant director of “All American” Marching Band, the Spring Concert Band, the Campus Band, and director of Boiler Box Band. Prior to his appointment to Purdue’s faculty, Sweet served as a graduate teaching assistant at the University of Kentucky. He received his Bachelor of Music Education degree from Abilene Christian University in 2004, and earned a Masters of Music degree in Wind Band Conducting from Stephen F. Austin State University in 2013.
A reception with refreshments will take place following the concert. The Honors Band and Choir concert is free and open to the public.
The Honeywell Foundation is a public charity in Wabash, Indiana. The organization and its venues – Honeywell Center, Honeywell House, Charley Creek Gardens, Dr. Ford Historic Home, Eagles Theatre, and 13-24 Drive In – provide artistic, social, cultural, and recreational opportunities for all. For more information about The Honeywell Foundation, please visit www.honeywellfoundation.org.