GALION — The Galion High School music department had a wonderful performance weekend all around at the Ohio Music Education Association (OMEA) District Large Group Contest. Both the symphonic band and symphonic choir earned advancement to OMEA State Large Group Contest.
The Galion High School Symphonic Choir, under the direction of Mr. Rick Walker, performed in the District 10 competition at Ashland High School on Friday, March 15. The group sang “Sing We and Chant It” by Thomas Morely, “To Everything There is a Season” by Ed Harris, and “Hush,” arranged by Alice Parker and earned an overall “I” rating to advance to the state contest.
“I was very pleased with the overall performance of the Symphonic Choir,” Walker said. “The students have worked extremely hard and truly deserve the opportunity to perform at the state choir competition.”
The Galion High School Symphonic Band, conducted by Mrs. Jessica Hammond, performed in the District 2 competition at Oak Harbor High School on Saturday, March 16. The group scored a “I”, qualifying them for the State Large Group Contest, with their performances of “Iron and Ice: A Viking Adventure” by Randall Standridge, “As Summer Was Just Beginning” by Larry Daehn, and “Brighton Beach” by William Latham.
“I am very proud of our student’s performance as well as their engagement in the entire learning process in preparing for these adjudicated events,” Hammond said. “The ensemble, which counts on each and every member and their part, truly had an exceptional performance!”
The OMEA North-West Region State Contests are held April 26th and 27th at Van Buren High School for the choirs and Findlay High School for the bands. Performance times and dates for Galion High School’s Symphonic Band and Symphonic Choir are yet to be determined.
“Congratulations to Mrs. Hammond, Mr. Walker and the students on their outstanding accomplishment,” Superintendent Jim Grubbs said. “The time, hard work and dedication of the Symphonic Band and Symphonic Choir is paying big dividends and I am excited to see the results of their performance in their respective state contests.”
