The Sewanhaka school district held its 63rd annual music festival and art exhibit on Thursday, Feb. 5, at Sewanhaka High School.
The event featured over 300 students from all five district schools who shared musical and visual art, according to a district release.
“We have the best chorus, band, orchestra and art students. Their talent is on display in this wonderful evening,” Event Chairperson Christopher Doherty said. “The support that they feel from the parents and faculty is great.”
District Coordinator of Music Noel Monat said the district hired outside conductors to work with the students. A district committee selects music for students’ skill level and brings in guest conductors to work with them, he said.
“It’s like we’re doing a mini all-county festival,” he said.
This year’s event included honors for Warren Meierdiercks, the district’s former superintendent. Meierdiercks, superintendent from 2006 to 2011, was an accomplished leader and educator, according to a district statement.
“He exemplifies everything required to be an outstanding teacher,” it said.
“We were teachers when [Meierdiercks] was here,” Monat said. “He was always very supportive of the arts.”
“He knew everybody’s name,” Doherty said. “Even last night, I walked in, and he said, ‘Hey, Chris!’”
The guest conductors, Hahnsol Kim, James Ludwig and Richard Fields, worked with the students to learn the pieces in rehearsals that Doherty described as college-level.
“You could really feel from the stage how supportive the audience was,” Doherty said, adding that former district personnel were present in addition to current community members. “The auditorium was pretty packed, and the kids on stage could really feel it.”
“We’ve kept this going all these years,” Monat said. “This is a special thing, it’s a really amazing event.”
