The fine arts are flourishing at Bellefontaine City Schools, with two groups broadening their skills off campus this week.
Eight students from the Bellefontaine High School Choir attended the Otterbein University Honor Choir Concert on Wednesday, Oct. 19, at Otterbein University’s Cowan Hall.
Jordan Butler, Joslyn Robinson, Maggie Howard, Ally Barker, Corbin Baker, Gabriel Foreman, Nate Wallace and Blaine Mitchell were nominated by BHS Choir Director Brice Henry.
“They were nominated based on their excellence in music and because they stood out among their peers as the top singers BHS has to offer,” Henry said.
“Dr. Gayle Walker, head of vocal music at Otterbein, hosts the event where students from all over Ohio join together to learn several challenging choral pieces to perform in a community concert that evening.
“My goal for these students is to broaden their horizons and scope of what choral music truly can be as they experience challenging and engaging music that will heighten their level of excellence in singing. I hope they learn a lot from another professional in the field and use the skills they gain to enhance the choral program at BCS.”
Fifty BHS orchestra students and 70 BMS orchestra students will be in Lima on Friday, Oct. 21, to watch the Lima Symphony Orchestra perform at Veterans Memorial Civic and Convention Center.
The show is titled “Your People’s Concert: Musical Storytelling.”
BCS Orchestra Director Laura Mitchell said there are many benefits of seeing a live symphony concert.
“Students will learn about orchestral procedures in a professional setting and learn about new and different styles of music that can be played on our instruments. Finally, we’ll learn about a symphony orchestra vs. a string orchestra.”
BCS offers four orchestras for students. They include: 5th Grade Orchestra, 6th Grade Orchestra; 7th and 8th Grade Orchestra; and Bellefontaine High School String Orchestra (grades 9-12).