2022 WELS Eastern Regional Band Festival
WLHS Vikings Band was excited to send 11 students to the 2022 WELS Eastern Regional Band Festival which was held at Michigan Lutheran High School in St. Joseph, Mich. About 70 student musicians from various WELS high schools in the region rehearsed for three days to perform for the festival concert. Sophomore musician Eviana Uttech was selected to be one of two oboists, her first time playing at a WELS Band Festival.
"The experience to play with a selected group of musicians like this has allowed me to become friends with students from different schools and different states. It's been inspirational to play with such talented musicians and will push me to keep on practicing to continue to do my best."
"One of my favorite pieces was Rippling Watercolors by Brian Balmages. Our Wisco Viking band will also be playing a piece by this composer at our concert on Thursday, March 24. What made this song unique, was that the conductor, Dr. Trey Harris (Associate Director of Bands for the School of Music at Western Michigan University), let us play this piece on our own, without him directing: the band controlled the tempo. Dr. Harris encouraged us to physically move to the music to keep the band together.
A recording of the 2022 festival concert can be watched here.
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"One of my favorite pieces was Rippling Watercolors by Brian Balmages. Our Wisco Viking band will also be playing a piece by this composer at our concert on Thursday, March 24. What made this song unique, was that the conductor, Dr. Trey Harris (Associate Director of Bands for the School of Music at Western Michigan University), let us play this piece on our own, without him directing: the band controlled the tempo. Dr. Harris encouraged us to physically move to the music to keep the band together.
A recording of the 2022 festival concert can be watched here.
