During the weekend of Jan. 24 through Jan. 26, the University of North Dakota’s Music Department hosted their 40th annual Honor Music Festival. This festival provides a unique opportunity for students from all around the region to audition to be a part of a select ensemble and experience what it would be like to participate in musical ensembles at UND. This event brings in almost four hundred students and encourages them to study at UND whether they are interested in studying music or just continuing to be involved in ensembles.
The festival began on Friday afternoon with the first full rehearsals for all four ensembles including Honor Band, Honor Strings, Honor Mixed Choir, and Honor Treble Choir. Each ensemble is under the direction of a UND faculty member who is assisted by other faculty members and students.
After their first full rehearsal where they began to rehearse their music and get to know one another, the students were expected to attend the UND Ensembles Showcase Concert at the Chester Fritz Auditorium. This concert features the various ensembles that these Honor musicians may be able to visualize themselves participating in one day. This includes various choral groups, the Wind Ensemble, Chamber Orchestra, Piano Ensemble, Drumline, and many more. After the concert, students were sent off to have dinner with the rest of the students from their schools before they returned for yet another rehearsal that would conclude the first day of the festival.
The second day was filled with rehearsals for each group including sectionals where students could work in smaller groups to enhance their skills and ability to perform their pieces. After many hours of rehearsals, all the Honor musicians were gathered in the Chester Fritz Auditorium once again, but this time to have a combined rehearsal where they typically put together a piece that they had all been working on separately for the first time. Finally, the second day concluded with a social mixer open to the students and directors from each participating school, including the students and directors from UND. This event serves as an opportunity for students to connect with one another and also learn a bit about what it may be like to attend UND as an undergraduate student.
The final day of the festival began with each ensemble making their way on stage to take their group photos and rehearse on their own one last time. Once each group had their opportunity to complete their final rehearsal, it was about time for the Honor Band, Choir, and Strings Festival Concert to begin. The Honor Band showcased their progress under the direction of Dr. James Popejoy and the Honor Mixed Choir performed under the direction of UND’s new Director of Choral Activities, Casey Behm. Honor Strings performed under the direction of Dr. Simona Barbu and the Honor Treble Choir showcased the pieces they rehearsed under the direction of Melanie Popejoy.
Overall, the 40th UND Honor Music Festival was yet another successful year of bringing together various young and talented musicians from schools around the region. This event provides these students with a wonderful opportunity to not only improve their musicianship but also their ability to connect with other musicians that they may have otherwise not had the opportunity to meet. This festival is just another representation of the dedication that UND Music has for ensuring that the art of music and the musicians who create that art are celebrated and encouraged to pursue music as a potential career or passion.
Nora Lee is a Dakota Student General Reporter. She can be reached at nora.lee@und.edu.