Combined District 214 / District 21 Orchestra Concert to Be Presented at BGHS

     Buffalo Grove High School will again host this year's Combined District 214 / District 21 Orchestra Festival on Tuesday, Oct. 30, at 7 p.m. in the school theater. The high school is located at the corner of Arlington Heights and Dundee Roads in Buffalo Grove. 

     According to the BGHS Director of Orchestras, Elizabeth Bennett, "The 21/214 Orchestra Festival is a chance for the middle schools and high schools to combine their efforts in orchestral music education and present a concert to the general public, full of students, grades 7-12.  Middle school students get the chance of learning about the high school orchestra programs and what they have to look forward to, and high school students get to look back and see how far they have come in their ability to play their instruments."

     The combined District 21 Orchestra consists of 7th and 8th graders from Holmes Middle School, London Middle School, and Cooper Middle School.  District 214 performing ensembles include Wheeling High School Symphony Orchestra and Buffalo Grove Symphony Orchestra.

     The combined middle school orchestra will perform a mix of classical and folk: "Finale" from Tchaikovsky's Symphony No. 2, Schubert's Rosamunde Overture, "Russian Sailor's Dance," "Ashokan Farewell" (in honor of middle school director Ann Rapp's last festival), and "Shivaree."  Wheeling will perform "The Best of Michael Jackson" and a Beatles Medley. Buffalo Grove will play "Video Games Live," "Bohemian Rhapsody," and "Radetzky March."

     Guest conductor of the combined middle school orchestra will be Marla Caballero. Middle school orchestra directors are Rapp, Heidi Flowers, and Lauren Wargaski.  High school conductors are Wheeling's Alex Meza and Buffalo Grove's Elizabeth Bennett.

     The performance is admission-free and open to the public.  Organizers advise attendees to arrive early, as the theater fills up quickly with eager audience members.  Dairy Queen Blizzards will be available for sale in the theater foyer following the performance. For more information, contact the BGHS Orchestra office at (847) 718-4047.