January 30, 2013
Heartland Honor Band and Choir to perform Feb. 2
CARBONDALE, Ill. -- The Heartland Honor Band and Choir performance is coming to SIU Carbondale’s Shryock Auditorium, where local high schools will have the opportunity to perform with the University’s band and choir.
The free concerts are on Saturday, Feb. 2 at 1:30 and 3 p.m. Susan Davenport, assistant professor and director of choral activities at SIU, said the event is important because it brings musicians from different age groups together.
“(It’s great) hearing the high school students performing together when they only met the day before,” she said. “Students from about 20 high schools come together on Friday, rehearse the music, and perform on Saturday.”
The concert is in its 24th year and is an important event for the local music community.
“Many of the high schools are quite small, so this is a great time for them to be a part of a larger band or choir,” she said. “It is a wonderful outreach for us here at the University, and it's a great time to see kids from many schools work together in a noncompetitive environment.”
Christopher Morehouse, an assistant professor and the director of bands at SIU, said it’s an exciting opportunity for the area high school students to play at a higher level.