Top junior high and high school student musicians from throughout the Hart School District will perform on Saturday, March 7, at 7:30 p.m., in the Hart High School Auditorium, as part of the 34th Annual District Honor Band Concert. The junior high honor band is comprised of 87 students and the high school honor band includes 91 student musicians. The more than 175 students who were selected to participate this year came from a field of over 800 talented students. The community is invited to attend; tickets are $15 at the door.

The annual concert is directed by guest conductors who are university directors or other prominent music educators. This year, the high school honor band will be conducted by Sharon Lavery from the University of Southern California. Professor Lavery is in demand as a guest conductor and clinician throughout California and the United States. She has conducted numerous regional and national honor bands and is an acclaimed conductor. The junior high school honor band will be conducted by Anne Fruehling. Mrs. Fruehling is Director of Bands at Colina Middle School in Thousand Oaks, one of southern California’s most outstanding music programs.

Students have been busy rehearsing for this annual Hart District event and are looking forward to performing with students from across the District in the magnificent Hart High School Auditorium. Students from Castaic Middle School will also be participating.

Select students will receive awards during the concert. One junior high student and several high school students will be recognized for outstanding participation over two-to-six years in the honor band program. The Robert K. Downs Memorial Scholarship will be presented to a participating high school senior. This scholarship is awarded annually in appreciation of Robert K. Downs’ contributions to music education in the Santa Clarita Valley as a former band director for Hart High School and College of the Canyons. Several smaller honor band scholarships will also be announced.

For more information, please contact Kathryn Spula, band director at Placerita Junior High School, at kspula@hartdistrict.org or Jason Marshall, band director at West Ranch High School, at jmarshall@hartdistrict.org , or any site band director.