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Rhode Island Music Education Association public concert schedule
The Rhode Island Music Education Association (RIMEA) announced that the 2023 Rhode Island All-State Music Festival Concerts will begin on Wednesday March 15 at 7 pm with the All-State Jazz Ensembles performing at the University of Rhode Island Fine Arts Center.
This will be followed on Sunday March 19th at 7 pm with the All-State Guitar Ensembles at Providence College, and the entire festival will culminate the weekend of March 25 and 26 at Veterans Memorial Auditorium, Providence, with the All-State Elementary Chorus on March 25th at 4 pm, and then the All-State Choruses, Bands and Orchestras on March 26th at 11 am, 3 pm and 6 pm.
The All-State Concerts celebrate and feature over 800 student musicians in grades 4-12, selected by competitive audition from a host of students auditioning in November, and representing just about every community in the state.
“Through music, students not only have a chance to express themselves by demonstrating their love of music through playing and singing, they also gain important skills to reflect on their own well-being, their relationships with others, and their capability to make decisions during these challenging times,” said Karen Anghinetti, President of the Rhode Island Music Educators Association. “Rhode Island’s All-State musicians are an embodiment of the fact that music remains an enduring, essential part of our lives and must remain an essential part of every child’s Pre-K-12 education.”
“These All-State musicians spent countless hours over the past several months honing their craft and rehearsing for the concert,” said David Neves, RIMEA Executive Director and Advocacy Co-Chair. “They represent what is possible when students are given opportunities in their schools to develop and explore the musical skills that are part of every human being. We hope that the Rhode Island community will join us for concerts featuring the best young musicians from across the state. You will not be disappointed.”
RIMEA is particularly excited for this festival as it is the first fully “normal” All-State experience since prior to the pandemic in 2019. Though in-person All-State concerts took place last year, the groups faced numerous health and management restrictions due to the ongoing concerns of the pandemic. This year the rehearsals and resulting concerts will take place in the way live concerts were always intended to be.
All of the concerts are open to the public.
The Jazz and Guitar concerts on March 15th and 19th, are free admission, with donations kindly accepted. The March 25 and 26 concerts by the Choruses, Bands, and Orchestras, taking place at The VETS require a ticket. Full concert information is available at https://www.rimea.org/as . Simply click on the link for the concert you are interested in, and all needed information, including how to purchase tickets will appear.
About RIMEA
The Rhode Island Music Education Association (RIMEA) is the state chapter of NAfME, the National Association for Music Education. Its mission is to provide professional development, leadership, and support for the state’s music teachers to promote quality music instruction and experiences for all students in Rhode Island as part of a complete education.