Franklin High School Senior To Play In State Honors Concert

FRANKLIN, WI — A senior student and trombone player from Franklin High School is one of 403 musicians from across Wisconsin who were selected to play in the Wisconsin School Music Association High School State Honors concerts this week.

Gabe Wheeler will represent Franklin High School at the concert in Madison on Thursday. Wheeler is slated to play in the Honors concert at the Overture Center this week along with hundreds of other students from across the state.

The students who were selected for the concert are all considered some of the finest young musicians in Wisconsin, WSMA wrote in a press release. Now, the concert will bring them together for what could be one of the "most rewarding experiences in their musical career so far," WSMA said.

According to WSMA, The project brings students access and training with nationally known conductors from highly disciplined settings. Students met those conductors and coaches for the first time in June at a summer camp for virtual and in-person rehearsals. After the camp, students continued to practice and remain in contact with their conductors and coaches.

Throughout the summer, the 403 students who were selected for the concert out of 1,200 applications had to practice toward a common musical goal — The Honors concerts.

"The public is encouraged to attend the concerts, which celebrate the accomplishments of these students and the overall positive impact of music education on their lives. The concerts also commemorate dedicated music teachers throughout Wisconsin, many of whom will be in Madison attending these events in conjunction with the annual Wisconsin State Music Conference," said Victoria Donahue, WSMA program director.

The concerts will also be recorded and later aired on Wisconsin radio stations and PBS Wisconsin. A video of each ensemble performance is planned for posting to PBS Wisconsin soon after this Thursday, WSMA said.

Those looking to listen to the concert on the radio can do so on Thanksgiving and the day after Christmas. Stations across the state plan on airing the concerts from 10 a.m.-12 p.m. on Thanksgiving and at 2 p.m. on Christmas, according to WSMA.

More information about the concert's broadcast is available on the WSMA website.