It’s the third time West has been chosen — 2000 and 2006 were the others — marking the only school in Ohio to achieve that milestone.
“This is a huge deal for us,” West band director Greg Snyder said. “It’s pretty cool to be known nationally and internationally as one of the premier bands in our country.”
Schools have to wait five years after they perform at the Clinic, so this was the first year West was eligible to return.
Snyder said it was last year’s band, which had 39 seniors, that went through the audition process and helped the school earn its third appearance.
“That’s what I find remarkable,” Snyder said. “It’s a brand new band. It’s a great opportunity for our kids, and they’re working so hard to represent our community.”
About 15,000 music educators from all over the world will be in Chicago at the McCormick Place Convention Center. The event concludes on Saturday.
West will participate in a clinic Thursday morning, then at 11:40 a.m. Friday, it will perform its hour-long concert at the Midwest Clinic. West will be joined by guest conductors from Ohio State, Capital and Northern Kentucky, as well as six alumni who will perform solos.
Snyder said composers from California, Michigan and Illinois have come in to work with his students.
“I’ve been pleased the whole way through with their work ethic,” Snyder said. “We’ve had a tremendous experience working with conductors and composers. Every day, we keep getting better and better.”
For more information on the Lakota West Symphonic Winds, visit www.lakota westbands.org.
Contact this reporter at (513) 755-5113 or steven.matthews@coxinc.com.
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