Sioux Falls middle schoolers and Augustana students to raise voices in song together
Students from Sioux Falls middle schools and Augustana University will raise their voices in song in the Middle School Choral Festival at 7 p.m. Oct. 23 at the Washington Pavilion.
This festival will include a concert featuring more than 250 voices from Augustana and Whittier, George McGovern and Ben Reifel middle schools, and will be guest conducted by composer and AU alumnus Kyle Peterson.
The event is free to the public, with doors opening at 6:30 p.m. It’s presented by the Promising Futures Fund, which supports students of lower-income families in the Sioux Falls area. The event also follows the success of the inaugural Middle School Choral Festival that was held at AU in March.
After that event, PFF founder Steve Hildebrand and AU School of Music Dean Peter Folliard set a clear vision for this fall’s festival: to encourage more students and families to think about their college futures and involvement in choral music, according to a press release.
Hildebrand said the partnership provides students an opportunity to envision their collegiate future in their hometown.
“Participation in the arts, specifically choral music, allows students a low-cost solution to express themselves, build their community and make Sioux Falls more beautiful through music,” he said in a press release.
Folliard said in a press release that AU is delighted to partner with fellow music educators from the middle schools and to “come together and celebrate through sharing fellowship and music.”
This article originally appeared on Sioux Falls Argus Leader: Sioux Falls middle schools and Augustana University to host festival
