ILMEA Honors Music Festival

This year the ILMEA Honors Music Festival was held at Olivet Nazarene University instead of ISU, and it was great!  The university hosted the event for free and didn't charge admission to the concerts either!  (The last 4 years, we have stood in an awful chaotic line to pay for expensive tickets to watch our children perform in this festival.) At Olivet, parking was easy and close to the chapel where the concerts were.  The students raved about the food in the cafeteria for lunch.  I'm told that the directors loved the performance venue and rehearsal spaces and even with a little bit of a drive did not miss it being closer to home at ISU at all.  So yay Olivet!

Sylvia sang in the Junior Honors Chorus.  She had auditioned for both the band and choir, and did make it into both groups.  She thought she would choose choir if she made both, but then learned she was seated as 2nd chair french horn in the band and chose to play.  However, there were some clerical problems, and due to an untimely communication situation, she sang in the choir.  She enjoyed the experience anyway!  

Here she is in line to go on stage.

I didn't take many photos or video today, but ordered the professionally made videos for the concerts instead.  

The director of the junior choir teaches at University of Illinois and also at Capital University Conservatory of Music's Kodaly Master of Music program in the summer!  It was neat that there was a connection to our alma mater!

Annah played 1st violin part in the orchestra.  She is sitting 4 people to the left of the end in the row in front of the harp. We couldn't see her while playing, but she made it on the screen a few times, which hopefully means she'll be on the video we bought. Anyway, the orchestra was amazing! 

VIDEO: just a little snippet of La Forza Del Destine Overture by Giuseppe Verdi

VIDEO: the last minute of Dance Bacchanale from "Samson and Dalila" by Camille Saint Saens

I was so incredibly proud of Annah and excited for her to play in an ensemble of this caliber.  She felt like she didn't have enough practice in to keep up at the tempo they took the pieces, but I think she underestimates her ability on her violin.  She did say it was pretty great to play with a full orchestra.

I loved getting to listen to 6 fantastic ensembles and watch 2 of my kiddos perform today!  

What an awesome day!