Vienna International Youth and Music Festival's Judges Include Prof. Orcenith Smith

July 2, 2008

July 2, 2008, Greencastle, Ind. - Orcenith Smith, professor in the DePauw University School of Music, is headed to Austria where will serve on the five-member international adjudicating team for the Vienna International Youth and Music Festival, July 10-15. The sole American judge, Professor Smith will join four Austrian arbiters to rate orchestras, choirs, and bands which come from a wide range of countries, including China, Russia, South Africa, Finland, Brazil, Estonia, Canada, Latvia, Poland, the Bahamas, and the United States.

"For thirty-six years musical ensembles have come to the Vienna International Youth and Music Festival (Musik und Jugend in Wien) knowing the festival's tradition and seeking validation from the great city of music," says Smith. "Because of that tradition, Vienna's mayor's office is involved in the competition, presenting the grand prize of the City of Vienna to the best ensemble, acknowledging the level of focus and high standard of workmanship necessary to bring about outstanding accomplishments during the Competition. It is an honor for me to be invited to evaluate these extraordinary efforts by the festival, the city, these young musicians, their directors, and their parents." (at right: Smith with Anthony Daniels, who portrayed C3PO in Star Wars, at a 2002 convention at which the professor served as musical conductor)

Professor Smith has been busy this summer guest conducting a variety of performances, including the Strings and Jazzy Things camp for inner-city string players in Indianapolis, the Indiana University-Southeast String Clinic for young string players in the Louisville area, and for two different park concerts of his design for the Indianapolis Philharmonic: "Music of Nature's Beauty" and "Americans and Superheroes," for which he also wrote a fanfare to honor concert sponsor Ace Rent-A-Car.

Visit the DePauw University School of Music online.

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