HURON — Huron Middle School is proud to announce the following Huron Middle School orchestra students accepted to the South Dakota Music Education Association Middle School All State Orchestra — Avelia Colon-Rathjen, eighth-grade violinist, and Lydia Beck, seventh-grade cellist.

Their orchestra teacher is Dr. Beth Neitzert.

Middle School All State Orchestra will be in Rapid City on Feb. 23- 24, featuring Bruce Knowles as conductor. The orchestra will feature 85 string players in grades six through eight from across the state.

Students will rehearse Friday and Saturday with the ensemble comprised of students from throughout the state.

The public is invited to attend the grand finale concert at Central High School on Saturday, Feb. 24 at 3 p.m. The concert is open to the public and everyone is welcome. There is a suggested donation of $5 per person to attend the concert. The SDMEA String Symposium is also occurring at this time, where string teachers from across the state join for continuing education.

The mission of the National Association for Music Education is to advance music education by promoting the understanding and making of music by all. SDMEA is a state affiliate of the National Association for Music Education.

With over 400 members, SDMEA is the largest association of instructional musicians in the state catering to the needs of band, choral, general music and orchestra teachers.