Five people have been selected as finalists in the Marquette Symphony Orchestra's Sing with the Symphony! competition and will perform on the MSO's concert on February 22, 2020 at 3:00 p.m. at Kaufman Auditorium.
FINALISTS (listed alphabetically):
Curt Kowalski
Jacob Laitinen
Gabrielle McNally
Leslie Parkkonen
Olivia Wachnicki
Three people have been recognized as honorable mentions and are considered alternates in case any of the finalists do not agree to perform on the concert.
HONORABLE MENTION (listed alphabetically):
Julia Janowski
Remington Johnson
Erin Renee Mankee
The MSO extends congratulations to the above people who were selected from the 43 applicants -- far more than anticipated. The MSO hopes everyone considers auditioning again for a possible future MSO Sing with the Symphony! competition.
Tickets for the Feb. 22 performance are on sale now through NMU Ticket Outlets. Visit marquettesymphony.org for more information.
In Addition:
The Marquette Symphony Orchestra invites area youth ages 11-14 to participate in a special choral ensemble for its Sing with the Symphony! Family Pops Concert on Saturday, February 22 at 3:00 p.m. at Kaufman Auditorium.
Under the baton of Maestro Octavio Más-Arocas, the youth choir will perform selections from one of Aaron Copland's most popular works, Old American Songs. The group will rehearse on Monday evenings in January and February from 6:00-8:00 p.m. at Northern Michigan University, under the direction of Dr. Robert Engelhart of the NMU Music Department, with assistance from area music teachers and NMU music education students.
An organizational meeting will be held prior to the holidays on December 9, and regular Monday rehearsals will run from January 6 through February 17. Final rehearsals with the MSO will be on Thursday, February 20, Friday, February 21, and Saturday morning, February 22. In addition to strong musical abilities, overall maturity and reliability are required.
To enroll, parents or guardians should: 1) request an email recommendation from the student's school music teacher (or equivalent if home-schooled) and 2) send an email with student name, age, grade, school, and music teacher, verifying that the student will attend all rehearsals. Both emails must be received by Dr. Engelhart at rengelha@nmu.edu by Wednesday, December 4. Parents or teachers can encouraged to contact Dr. Engelhart for more information.
