West Virginia University will host its 28th Annual Invitational High School Honor Bands event at the Creative Arts Center Feb. 15-17.

Approximately 350 student musicians from high schools in West Virginia and several surrounding states will participate. They are recommended by their high school band directors and selected on the basis of their ability and accomplishments.

The students will audition Thursday evening and rehearse for two days before presenting the annual Honor Bands Concert at 2 p.m., Saturday, Feb. 17, in the Lyell B. Clay Concert Theatre at WVU s Creative Arts Center.

The concert is free and open to the public.

The Honor Bands event is hosted by WVU Director of Bands John Hendricks and Associate Director Jay Drury.

This year more than one hundred schools will participate in the Honor Band weekend. Many of the high school band directors also accompany their students to the event, which serves as a workshop and observation opportunity for area music teachers.

Much of the success of our Honor Bands is due to the outstanding guest conductors who bring their talents to Morgantown each year,said Hendricks.We are pleased to announce that our conductors this year will be William Berz, professor of music at the Mason Gross School of the Arts of Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey; Barry W. Bernhardt, director of university bands at Southeast Missouri State University; and John Paul Lynch, Sr., who was director of bands at Martinsburg High School in West Virginia for 25 years before retiring in 2005.

As part of the Honor Band Weekend activities, the WVU Wind Symphony will perform a concert Friday, Feb. 16, at 7:30 p.m. in the Lyell B. Clay Concert Theatre. This concert, a ticketed event, will also feature the guest conductors for the WVU Invitational Honor Bands event.

For more information about the WVU Invitational High School Honor Bands Concert or the Friday evening WVU Wind Symphony Concert, contact the WVU Box Office at 304-293-SHOW.