Six Oxford High School Band and Orchestra students were selected to participate in the prestigious 2018 Michigan Youth Arts Festival (MYAF) which will be held May 10-12 at Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo, Michigan.

Students invited to attend the MYAF include Oxford High School senior oboist Hayden Franke, senior clarinetist Trent Evans, senior guitarist Luke Sittard, senior string bassist Zachariah Smith, junior violist Nadia Smith and sophomore oboist Selina Langfeldt.

Additionally, junior violinist Paige Palmer was invited to audition for the MYAF’s Instrumental Soloist Competition, which is a seperate event.

“It’s an honor to even be invited to audition,” OHS Band Director Jim Gibbons added.

Gibbons said this is the highest number of students the school has had selected to perform at the festival at one time.

“These students will get to work with a nationally-recognized conductor and they’ll get to play in an ensemble with the best players in the state,” said Gibbons. “The education they will receive and the challenging literature they will play will help them grow as performers and as people.”

Gibbons added that an invitation to attend the annual festival is one of the “highest honors” a high school-level musician can receive.

Nearly 1,000 student-artists from high schools throughout Michigan have been invited to participate in the MYAF this year.

MYAF invitees, or ‘Distinguished Scholars,’ are selected from more than 250,000 students across the state based on scores they received during the MSBOA State Solo and Ensemble Festival, where students underwent a rigorous adjudication process which included performances and proficiency examinations.

Now in its 56th year, the MYAF allows students to participate in educational rehearsals, workshops and master classes taught by exceptional working professionals in the arts.

The students and their work are also featured in exhibitions and performances, which are free of charge and open to the public.

To learn more about MYAF, please visit www.michiganyoutharts.org.