Owensboro High School’s Percussion Ensemble has been selected to perform at the 2023 Kentucky Music Educators Association Conference in Louisville, KY at the Galt House, Cochran Ballroom, on Feb. 9 at 12:45 p.m. EST. This is their third time being invited to this prestigious event, being selected this time to perform their annual percussion showcase concert. After a rigorous audition process, OHS students will perform at the conference with 3 other selected percussion ensembles. Under the direction of Aaron Klausing, students will perform a wide variety of selections including technical pieces, to 6 original works arranged by both their directors.
“We found out last July that we were not only selected for the conference but we were approved to perform a 50 minute concert set of our percussion concert, something we had to get special approval for. As soon as I heard we would be playing at the conference it didn't take long to come up with a concept for the program, something we do every year."
The idea of the show is to create a theatrical performance that was wildly entertaining, with seamless transitions, utilizing lights and sound in creative ways. The music for each show is selected to highlight the strengths of the individual students while exposing the group to a wide variety of musical genres. Throughout the years, the show has broadened to incorporate many of the outstanding performing arts at OHS including solo singers, choir ensembles, strings, winds, marching percussion, handbell choir, slam poets, and a cast of theater students to deliver a unique story created by Abby Lane.
The title of this year’s show is “Reimagine”. It’s about reimagining or redefining oneself as we traverse through life. As the creators of the show, we challenge ourselves every year to reimagine unique ways to create music that is challenging, engaging, and fun for our students. Much of the music presented in our percussion concerts has been written or arranged by the directors allowing them to write with students’ abilities in mind, but more importantly gives the opportunity to experiment with creative instrumentation, involving a wealth of students in the performance.
It takes a village to put on a production like this, utilizing drama students, choir members, orchestra members, band members and audio and light design by The Eric Group. If you can’t attend the KMEA conference in Louisville, you can still watch the Owensboro High School Percussion Ensemble in action. The group will perform a pre-view concert on Tuesday, Feb. 7 at 7 p.m. in the Owensboro High School auditorium. The concert is free and open to the public. Those wanting to catch the OHS Percussion Ensemble in Louisville can do so at no cost.