Dee Loflin, SMT Manager/Writer
Poplar Bluff, Missouri - The Dexter High School students will be just a few of the hundreds of music students from high schools across Southeast Missouri will come to Poplar Bluff to compete in the annual Three Rivers College District Music Festival on March 21-22 at the college’s Poplar Bluff campus.
“We expect to bring over 2,000 music students and their directors to our campus over the two days of the festival,” said Buddy White, Instructor of Music at Three Rivers and one of the festival’s organizers. “These are the best musicians of the area, and we’re always excited to have them all gather at Three Rivers.”
Fifteen high school bands and seventeen choirs will be competing for state-level titles on March 21, with dozens of solo and small-group performers vying for district honors on March 22. Those competitors in the district sections who achieve a top rating will qualify to move on to the state competition in April.
The Dexter High School Choir will be performing at 9:00 a.m. on Thursday, March 21st and the Dexter Jazz Cats will be performing at 1:00 p.m. Along with their performances are large ensembles throughout the day.
“The college has hosted the festival for 17 years, and across that time, over 30,000 high school students have performed,” said White. “It’s been an honor to watch all of these talented musicians come across our stage.”
On Friday, March 22nd the Band and Choir small ensembles will leave for Three Rivers and begin their performances that morning.
The Missouri State High School Activities Association also sponsors the music festival, and is one of 20 such events hosted in the state. Judges for the event are drawn from across the Missouri and Arkansas area, including St. Louis, Little Rock, and Cape Girardeau. Participating schools in the Festival’s district include Poplar Bluff, Kennett, Malden, Neelyville, and Twin Rivers. The event is co-managed by Cindy and Buddy White, Instructors of Music at Three Rivers. In addition, Three Rivers students serve as room monitors and judging assistants.
All performances will be held the Tinnin Fine Arts Center at Three Rivers’ Poplar Bluff campus and are open to the public. For more information on the event, please call 573-840-9639 or email Buddy White at wwhite@trcc.edu.
Three Rivers College is committed to contributing to the quality of life in Southeast Missouri with quality, affordable higher education opportunities and community services that support and encourage the economic, civic, and cultural vitality of the region. For more information about college and workforce programs and upcoming events, visit trcc.edu.
