The Southern Star Musical Festival is a great opportunity for bands, choirs, and orchestras across the south east to participate and show their musical talents.

The groups play in front of a panel of three judges and are rated based on their performance of each of the pieces. If the ratings are high enough, the ensembles will earn a trophy in addition to a gold, silver, bronze or blue rating. Groups also have the opportunity to participate in a short workshop led by one of the judges after their performance to further their skills.

This year, the Mount Pisgah orchestra and chorus will participate and play several pieces.

Robert Rieve, Mount Pisgah’s middle and upper school orchestra conductor, will take the orchestra to Southern Star this year. They will preform two traditional string pieces: the first movement of “Saint Paul Suite” by Gustav Holst and the first movement of the “Capriol Suite” by Peter Warlock. 

Audriana Johnson, middle and upper school chorus director, will also take the chorus to Southern Star this year. The combined seventh through twelfth choir will preform three pieces: “Come Travel with Me” (inspired by a Walt Whitman poem), “Whatever is True” (based off scripture in Galatians), and “I Dream a World” (based on a Langston Hughes poem).

Mount Pisgah’s seventh through twelfth chorus is coming off three straight years of getting gold and they hope to do it again. Although, “The goal is not for us to get a gold rating, but to do our best,” says Audriana Johnson.

Both the orchestra and chorus are excited and put in a lot of effort to perform well and do their best. In order to prepare for their performance at Southern Star, they will preform in front of the student body for a peer concert shortly before spring break.

After months of hard work, students can spend the Saturday after they preform at Southern Star to have fun and go to the awards ceremony.