Franklin County Musicians Perform at the State Level

On Saturday, January 16th, two Franklin County student musicians traveled to Fort Wayne to perform at the Indiana Music Educators Association Professional Development Conference. Katrina Murray performed in the 2016 Indiana Honor Band, an ensemble of instrumentalists from all across the state selected through a rigorous recommendation process. The Honor Band performed pieces by Rossano Galante, Frank Ticheli, Zo Elliot & Stephen Melillo. It was directed by guest conductor Dr. Peter Loel Boonshaft of Hofstra University in Hempstead, NY. An acclaimed author in the world of music education, Dr. Boonshaft has received numerous awards, including the “George M. Parks Award for Leadership in Music Education” from the National Association for Music Education.

James Stokes performed in the 2016 Indiana All-State Honor Choir as a bass vocalist. James won his spot in the All-State Honor Choir through a state-wide audition, and was selected from among hundreds of other singers. The All-State Honor Choir performed pieces by Franz Joseph Haydn, Felix Mendelssohn, & Rene Clausen, among others. The guest conductor was Anton Armstrong, Professor of Music at St. Olaf College, a school well-known for its choral prestige. Directors Bynum Henson, Jon Johnson & Camden Ritchie are extremely proud of Katrina and James for representing Franklin County so well at the state level.​

left to right: James Stokes, bass & Katrina Murray, trombone