OMEA Invites AHS Symphony Orchestra to Perform at State Conference

The Avon High School Symphony Orchestra will be performing at the upcoming Ohio Music Education Association (OMEA) conference held in Cleveland at the Huntington Convention Center. OMEA conferences rotate between Cleveland, Columbus and Cincinnati each year and feature music educators from throughout the state.

Avon High Symphony Orchestra

The OMEA is the third largest of the 52 federated state affiliates of NAfME, The National Association for Music Education. OMEA members are involved at all levels of music education, serving more than 1.8 million public school students in over 600 public school districts and 50 colleges and universities in Ohio.

This is the first time any performing group from the Avon Local School district has been invited to participate.

Jesse Martin, Avon director of orchestras, submitted a recording of Avon High School’s Symphony Orchestra for consideration. The evaluation is done similar to a “blind audition” where music educators listen to the recordings, but are not given the name of the school or any other identifying information. Avon is the only high school orchestra from the Cleveland area performing, and one of only three in the entire state.

They will perform a 35-minute program in the morning on Feb. 5 at the conference. The Avon High School Symphony Orchestra consists of the top strings and wind performers and includes 57 students.

The Avon High School Symphony Orchestra will perform the following:

  • Marche Militaire from Suite Algerienne by Saint-Saens
  • Night On Bald Mountain by Mussorgsky
  • Trauer Symphony by Haydn
  • The Valdres March by Hanssen
  • Finlandia by Sibelius

Martin has been with the district for 22 years. He created the orchestra program in the district in 2001.

For more information on the conference, go to www.omeapdc.com.