Clausing (left) and Nickell (right)
SCIOTO— Numerous students from across the county recently gathered for the South Central Ohio Educational Service Center (SCOESC) coordinated 81st Annual Scioto County Honors Music Festival, where band and choir members shared their love of music and the education provided to them by their home school.
The event is an important one that brings many districts together under one roof for a shared love and allows those students to experience a more professional experience and lessons from a handful of music professionals.
Following the experience, two students were each awarded $1,000 music scholarships in front of a packed house in the Vern Riffe Center for the Arts, at Shawnee State University in Portsmouth, Ohio.
The scholarships are awarded each year on behalf of the high school music teachers and through the SCOESC. The recipients this year included Abby Clausing and Carson Nickell.
Clausing, senior at Clay High School, plans to study musical theater and has been accepted into multiple colleges. She is still working to finalize her decision about which school to attend. She hopes to one day have a career as a musical theater performer.
Clausing is an active participant in Clay High School’s student government, Key Club, Quiz Bowl, Science Bowl, Mock Trial, and Debate Club. She has been a member of the Portsmouth Area Children’s Theatre for 11 years and says that she cannot be who she is without music in her life.
She earned a Superior rating at the Ohio Music Education Association’s Solo and Ensemble Music Festival and has participated in the Scioto County Honors Music Festival for the past two years. Clausing’s choir teacher at Clay High School is Mr. Justin Wiget.
Nickell, who is currently a senior at Wheelersburg High School, also plans to pursue a career in musical theatre, with the goal of becoming a professional stage performer, and perhaps one day performing on Broadway.
He has also been accepted at a number of colleges and is in the process of determining which he will attend. Nickell has performed in musicals at Wheelersburg High School, Portsmouth Area Children’s Theatre, and Portsmouth Little Theatre.
According to the SOESC, Nickell has a deep affection for the way musical theater can tell a story, evoke powerful emotions, and transport the actors and audiences to new and different worlds.
He has been part of 26 theatrical productions, often in leading or accepting notable roles, but has also served as a student-director, choreographer, and production stage manager. Nickell was selected to be a member of Wheelersburg High School’s Vocal Point Choir and has participated in the Scioto County Honors Music Festival for the past three years. Nickell’s choir teacher at Wheelersburg High School is Mr. Josh Stewart.
Close to 200 local band and choir students in grades 7-12 from Clay, East, Green, Minford, New Boston, Northwest, Oak Hill, Portsmouth, South Webster, Valley, West and Wheelersburg performed in the music festival this year.
Guest Conductors for the concert included Mrs. Emily Talley (Ohio University) directing the Junior High Honors Band; Dr. William Talley (Ohio University) directing the High School Honors Band; and Dr. Jon Peterson (Director of the All-Ohio State Fair Youth Choir) directing the High School Honors Chorus.
Coordinator for the Music Festival, Sharee Price, commented that “the guest conductors were very complementary of our students and the quality of the music education programs in this county. They were impressed by the students and the band and choir teachers involved in the Honors Music Festival.”
Reach Joseph Pratt at (740) 353-3101, by email at [email protected], © 2024 Portsmouth Daily Times, all rights reserved.
