Hailing from Saltillo High School, in Saltillo, Mississippi, the 78 member crew of the Tiger Marching Band participated in the OrlandoFest Parade Band Competition held at Universal Studios® Florida, in Orlando, Florida on Friday, May 11th, 2012.

Under the direction of Mr. Bruce White and Mr. Robin Hill the band did an amazing job as they performed their rendition of “TIGER RAG”! The Saltillo High School Band will also have their Concert Band participate in the concert festival competition of OrlandoFest on Saturday morning, May 12th, 2012.

OrlandoFest would like to thank the student performers, the parents, chaperones and Mr. White and Mr. Hill for taking part in OrlandoFest.

For Details On How Your Performance Group May Participate In OrlandoFest, Please Contact OrlandoFest Today!

Ivan Wansley directs OrlandoFest Workshop with Pine Ridge HS

OrlandoFest welcomed the Pine Ridge High School Band, from Deltona, Florida, to partake in a Performance Workshop. The 42 piece ensemble, under the direction of Mr. Paul Robinson, spend the morning of Friday, May 4th working with Mr. Ivan Wansley, from Florida Southern College.

Following their performance workshop, the Pine Ridge HS Band will make their way to Universal Orlando® Resort and enjoy all the fun and excitement that it offers.

OrlandoFest, would like to thank Mr. Paul Robinson, his students and their parents & chaperones for taking part in OrlandoFest and our Performance Workshops.

Under the direction of Mr. Phillip Brown, the very talented young ladies and gentlemen of Hopkins High School, from Minnetonka, Minnesota, showcased their talents during their participation in an OrlandoFest Performance Workshop, while visiting Orlando, Florida.

The Hopkins High School Choral men and women spent their morning with Ms. Michelle Mailhot, one of our OrlandoFest Clinicians, for their performance workshop. Ms. Mailhot instructed the choir through several key aspects of fine tuning their performance and also spent time perfecting specific selections the choral ensemble was preparing to sing for future performances.

On behalf of the OrlandoFest team and staff, we were very thrilled to have them attend our Performance Workshop!

Over the weekend of March 23-24, 2012, OrlandoFest, in Orlando, Florida, hosted to 34 ensembles representing 10 states and the nation of Japan. Highlighting a spectacular group of performance ensembles, the Seitoku Jr./Sr. High School Wind Orchestra captivated the judges and audience with an amazing performance to take home the Grand Championship in Concert Band. Under the direction of Mr. Hatsuo Shindo, the young ladies from Chiba, Japan electrified the crowd with several incredible numbers, but nothing more incredible than the show stopping rendition of Barry Manilow’s Copa Cabanna.

Dutchtown High School Performs at OrlandoFest

By providing performance groups the, value added, addition of all-day Friday performance times, it will allow your performance group:

• More opportunities, in which, to perform during their participation in OrlandoFest.
• Additional time to enjoy the excitement of Universal Orlando® Resort

The OrlandoFest, Friday, schedule will begin at 8:00 am and offer performance times throughout the day and into the evening. Friday performance times, during OrlandoFest, are open to all concert bands, orchestras, jazz bands, concert choirs, show choirs, chamber choirs, concert percussion ensembles and auxiliary units.

Friday performances are based upon availability. Parade Band/Marching Bands will also perform on Friday mornings; however their evaluated performances will occur at Universal Studios®.

Register Your Ensemble Today

For additional information, please contact your Student Travel Planner or OrlandoFest at 800.313.2251.

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On Monday, October 10th, the students of the Carver Road Middle School, from Griffin, Georgia, participated in the popular Performing Arts Workshops, presented by OrlandoFest. The 44 members of the Carver Road Middle School Band and Choir took part in two distinct Workshops, which were under the instruction of OrlandoFest clinicians, Ms. Michelle Mailhot and Mr. Jarritt Sheel.

Jarritt Sheel- OrlandoFest Clinician

The Choir spent the morning with Ms. Michelle Mailhot, who directed the ensemble in various techniques on improving the students tone, pitch, phrasing, breathing and overall singing. While the Band spent the morning with Mr. Jarritt Sheel, who worked on enhancing the students performance technique to prepare them for future performances. The students really enjoyed their experience and so did Ms. Nina Williams, their Director!

Michelle Mailhot- OrlandoFest Clinician

OrlandoFest would like to express its’ sincere gratitude to the students, chaperones, parents, and Ms. Nina Williams, the Carver Road Middle School Director, for attending our Performing Arts Workshops. We hope they enjoy the remainder of their trip and have safe travels back home to Georgia, tomorrow!

For additional information regarding an OrlandoFest Performance, please contact us at 800.313.2251

You can also follow us on Twitter or like us on Facebook!

OrlandoFest is honored and privileged to work alongside the many talented professional music educators that will assist us in adjudicating our festival performances and serve as clinicians for our Performing Arts Education Workshops. Please visit our page of the professionals that will be assisting us for the 2011-2012 season of OrlandoFest.

Please click here for our 2011-2012 roster of Choral Adjudicators

Please click here for our 2011-12 roster of Instrumental Adjudicators

Register Your Ensemble Today

Mike Parks- Festival Director

Michael Parks recently retired from a 35 year career with the Orange County Public Schools in Orlando, serving as a Junior High and High School Band Director, Coordinator of Instrumental Music, and finally, as District Music Supervisor. Mr. Parks is active as a guest conductor/clinician for honors bands throughout Florida and the Southeast United States, as an adjudicator for the Florida Orchestra Association, and has served as a Florida All-State Band Conductor in 1995 and 2001. Professional organizations include Phi Beta Mu International Band Directors Fraternity, Florida Bandmasters Association and the Florida Orchestra Association.

According to Mike Parks, OrlandoFest’s New Festival Director, “I’m very excited about joining OrlandoFest. It (OrlandoFest) is the quality music festival that directors and students want to experience when traveling for performance evaluations and competition!” Mike looks forward to a successful 2nd career providing quality musical and educational experiences for students, music teachers and parents. He strongly believes that the Arts provide the cohesive center that unites all learning and creates the ‘whole child’ that is so strongly desired during this time of educational reform.

About OrlandoFest
OrlandoFest, the newest and most exciting music festival in Orlando, provides performance ensembles (choirs, bands, orchestras and auxiliaries) an inspiring and educational meaningful music festival experience. Held in Orlando, Florida, this incredible festival gives middle school, junior high school and high school performing arts ensembles a unique way to show off and enhance their musical skills via competitive and non-competitive adjudication performance options as well as offering customized educational Performing Arts Workshops.

OrlandoFest is a member of the Student & Youth Travel Association (SYTA), Texas Bandmasters Association (TBA), Florida Music Educators Association (FMEA) and the Midwest Band and Orchestra Clinic.

OrlandoFest Ensemble

OrlandoFest is the premier performing arts music festival that provides a once-in-a-lifetime experience to directors and students. For more information about OrlandoFest, please log on to www.orlandofest.com

SOURCE: OrlandoFest, Inc.
52 Riley Road, #354
Celebration, FL 34747

CONTACT: OrlandoFest, LLC

One of the best ways to make the most of your travel experience is to work with a student travel planner; one who can make planning your group trip hassle-free. OrlandoFest has the honor and privilege of working with many of the nation’s top student travel planners, who specialize in student performance groups and music festival trips. These companies are dedicated professionals that make planning your performance trip easy, so you can focus on your students and get them prepared for their OrlandoFest performance!!