On Nov. 19 and 20, 44 Hays High orchestra students and more than 60 Hays Middle School orchestra students traveled to Salina for the Western Kansas Orchestra Festival.

They were joined by seven other schools to create two large high school orchestras and two large middle school orchestras.

“I enjoyed going because it was fun to be with a different conductor and see how he taught,” freshman Savannah Schmitz said. “And, we got to be around other people, and staying at the hotel in the evening was fun because we got to just relax a bit and hang out with our friends.”

They rehearsed Friday upon their arrival, continued rehearsing on Saturday and performed Saturday night.

“My favorite part was watching our students work so hard and play so beautifully at the concert,” orchestra director Joan Crull said. “Each orchestra played for all the other ones and all the parents. There were close to 1,000 people there.”
23mtaggart@usd489.com