Each year the WHS Orchestra, Concert Band, Wind Ensemble, Concert Choir, and the Keynote Singers participate in the Massachusetts Instrumental & Choral Conductors Association (MICCA) Concert and Choral Festival.  This festival normally draws close to 150 instrumental groups and over 75 choral groups that perform in seven different locations scattered throughout the state over a 3-day period in late March or early April.  Wellesley normally tries to schedule performances of all their instrumental and choral groups on Friday or Saturday.  Although the exact date is not known until MICCA opens registration, the weekend selected for the festival is established prior to the beginning of the school year.  All orchestra students are expected to attend the MICCA Festival performance unless they have received permission for an excused absence from their Band, Choral, or Orchestra Director.  The school provides transportation to and from the festival.  All students participating in the festival are required to wear standard concert attire.

At the Festival, groups perform for a panel of three judges who record their comments for the Director to use as a teaching tool.  At the conclusion of the performance, the group adjourns to an adjacent room for a clinic with one of the adjudicators.  A formal portrait is then taken of each group.  The public is invited to attend the performance, clinic, and photo shoot.  Parents are encouraged to attend the performance and clinic.  Flash photography during the performance is prohibited but videotaping is allowed.  

Groups are rated on a medal system with awards ranging from Gold, Silver, and Bronze to Medal of Merit and Medal of Participation.  Groups receiving a Gold Medal are invited to perform at one of two Stars Concerts held shortly after the Festival at Mechanics Hall, Worcester and Symphony Hall, Boston.   Although the dates of these concerts are made available prior to the start of the school year, participation by any specific group is dependent on their performance at the Festival. For additional information, please see MICCA’s website.

Masterworks Concert for WHS Instrumental and Choral Groups

In school years ending in even years, the WHS Concert Choir and full Orchestra (including woodwinds and brass from the Wind Ensemble) work together to present a Masterworks Concert. Although both groups prepare for the Masterworks Concert during normal class hours, several joint rehearsals are required. It is understood that it can be difficult to accommodate these rehearsals when there are conflicts with sports and other regular  after-school activities.  It is expected that students will do their best to make plans to participate as fully as possible in the extra Masterworks rehearsals necessary to make this special event possible. 

Senior District Festival

Members of the WHS Bands, Orchestra, and/or Chorus are eligible to audition for the Eastern Senior District Orchestra.  Auditions are normally held at one of the District high schools on a Saturday in mid-November.  Required scales and musical selections are normally posted on the Senior District website by mid-June; the instrumental audition list is here (pdf) and the choral audition piece is here (pdf). Students interested in auditioning for Senior Districts are encouraged to discuss participation with their private teachers and begin preparation as early as possible.  Because the number of students competing on any given instrument may be limited due to the time constraints of the judges, students interested in auditioning should notify the Director at the beginning of the school year.  If the number of interested students exceeds the limit set for WHS, the Director will conduct auditions to select the students who will be allowed to represent WHS.

The Performing Arts Department coordinates registration and transportation to the audition.  The fee for registration is $25 per student; the cost of bus transportation is $40 per student.  Scholarship funds are available for any student that needs financial assistance.  Parent chaperones may be needed the day of the audition but are not allowed to sit in on any auditions.  Students are not allowed to drive themselves to the audition.  As representatives of WHS, students are asked to wear conservative casual clothes for the audition (no jeans, flip-flops, ripped clothing, bare shoulders, exposed midriffs, etc.)  

Normally, results are made available within 3 to 4 days.  Students are given copies of the adjudicators ratings and comments and are encouraged to share the results with their private teachers.  The top students are invited to attend the Senior District Festival held in early January.  The cost of registration is normally $20 per student.  The Performing Arts Department coordinates registration and transportation to and from each rehearsal and to, but not from, the Festival Concert.  Scholarship funds are available to cover the cost of registration and bus transportation.  Students are not allowed to drive themselves to or from the rehearsals.  

Each orchestra director is sent copies of the music to be performed at the Festival for distribution to participants.  Students are expected to begin immediate individual preparation with their private teachers.  WHS concert attire for men meets all District concert requirements.  Required concert attire for women consists of floor length black skirts (or pants for cellists), black nylons, black shoes, and white long-sleeved blouses.               

Tickets for the concert are normally sold during the dinner break at the first rehearsal and, if available, at the door.  Students are encouraged to purchase tickets early as they normally sell out quickly.  Attendees are asked to refrain from making audio or video recordings; order forms for professionally taped CDs, DVDs, and videotapes are available the day of the concert. 

Junior District Festival

Band, choral, and orchestra students in Grades 7-8 and Grade 9 students who have not been selected for or have not chosen to audition for the Eastern Senior District Festival are eligible to audition for the Eastern Junior District Festival. Auditions are normally held at a school in the District on a Saturday in January shortly after the Senior District Festival.  Required scales and musical selections are normally posted on the Junior District website by mid-August.  As with Senior Districts, students interested in auditioning for Junior Districts are encouraged to discuss participation with their private teachers and begin preparation as early as possible.  If the number of students competing on any given instrument exceeds the limited established by the District, the Performing Arts Department will conduct pre-qualifying auditions to select the WMS and WHS students who will be allowed to represent Wellesley. 

The Performing Arts Department coordinates registration and transportation to the audition.  The fee for registration is normally $15 per student; the cost of bus transportation depends on the total number of Performing Arts students who attend.  Normally, the cost of bus transportation ranges between $35 and $50.  Scholarship funds are available for any student that needs financial assistance.  Parent chaperones may be needed the day of the audition but are not allowed to sit in on any auditions.  As representatives of WHS, students are asked to wear conservative casual clothes for the audition (no jeans, flip-flops, ripped clothing, bare shoulders, exposed midriffs, etc.).   

Normally, results are made available within 3 to 4 days.  Students are given copies of the adjudicators ratings and comments and are encouraged to share the results with their private teachers.  The top students are invited to attend the Junior District Festival that is normally held in early March.  The cost of registration is usually $20 per student.  The Performing Arts Department coordinates registration and transportation to and from each rehearsal and to, but not from, the Festival Concert.  Scholarship funds are available to cover the cost of registration and bus transportation.   

Each orchestra director is sent copies of the music to be performed at the Junior District Festival for distribution to participants.  Students are expected to begin immediate individual preparation with their private teachers.  WHS concert attire for men meets all District concert requirements.  Required concert attire for women consists of floor length black skirts (or pants for cellists), black nylons, black shoes, and white long-sleeved blouses.           

Tickets for the concert are normally sold during the dinner break at each rehearsal.  Students are encouraged to purchase tickets early as they normally sell out quickly.  Attendees are asked to refrain from making audio or video recordings; order forms for professionally taped CDs, DVDs, and videotapes are available the day of the concert.