Western Kansas Orchestra Festival

53 Beloit Students Participate in Western Kansas Orchestra Festival

Friday and Saturday, November 22 & 23  2013

Great Bend, Kansas

            Orchestra students from the Beloit Senior High String Orchestra and the Beloit Junior Orchestra attended the Western Kansas Orchestra Festival in Great Bend on November 22 and 23.  Sixteen senior high, 21 junior high, and 16 6th grade students from Beloit Public Schools attended the festival.  Michael Harbaugh is the Orchestra teacher at the Beloit Jr.-Sr. High School and Beloit Elementary School.

            All orchestra programs west of US 81 attend the festival. 497 students represented Junior High/Middle Schools and High Schools from Hays, Salina, Garden City, Hutchinson, Great Bend, McPherson, Dodge City, and Beloit.  The Fort Hays State University and the Western Kansas Orchestra Festival Association present the festival.  Matthew Means, Instructor of Violin at Fort Hays State University, is the festival manager.

            The students are divided into two Middle School String Orchestras and two Senior High String Orchestras and rehearse many hours Friday and Saturday.

FIRST CHAIR AUDITIONS:

            Principal players from each Middle School and Senior High Orchestra auditioned for seating on Friday afternoon.

Arrica Overmiller, Junior at Beloit High School won 1^st chair Viola in High School Orchestra A and Brooke Vetter, Beloit High School Freshman won 1^st Chair Second Violin Section in High School Orchestra A.

            Other students auditioning for seating in the High School Orchestras were Tori Farwell, 2^nd Chair Viola; Audrey Finney, 2^nd Chair Second Violin Section; Audrey Shamburg, 3^rd Chair First Violin Section; Chris Chandler, 3^rd Chair Cello, Ayden Twaddell, 3^rd Chair Cello and Brendon Hill, String Bass Section.

            Other students auditioning for seating in the Middle School Orchestras were Tyler Long, 2^nd Chair First Violin Section; Belle Finney, 3^rd Chair Cello Section; Trinity Wagner, 4^th Chair Second Violin; Grace Marozas, 4^th Chair First Violin Section; Alexis Stout, Viola Section; Chance Kopsa, Cello Section; and Tayson Romero, String Bass Section.

             Ken Hakoda, Salina Symphony and Kansas Wesleyan University; Rachel Dirks, Lawrence High School; Shelly Duell, McKinney Texas; and MacCarthy Mayer, Olathe served as guest clinicians.

Parental Support

            Jeff Hill, DeeAnn Harbaugh, Doug Twaddell, Kristi Vetter, Chandra Wagner, Marsha Weidenhaft, Kevin and Christine Marozas, Diedre Burks, Marne Hewitt, and Stefani Waggle  helped chaperone the students. Mr. Harbaugh would like to thank the administration, secretarial staff, custodial staff, bus drivers, teachers of the Beloit Jr.-Sr. High School and Beloit Elementary Schools, in their outstanding support of this event and the orchestra program.