(Posted July 25, 2023)
Seven students from Madison County are among 220 youths from across Ohio who are performing in the All-Ohio State Fair Band and All-Ohio State Fair Youth Choir at this year’s Ohio State Fair. All seven are from West Jefferson High School.
Those performing in the band are: Mathew Chmil on alto saxophone, Brent Gardner on tenor saxophone, and Summer Ferguson on baritone saxophone. Those performing in the choir are: Clara Drummond as an alto 2, Jozlynn Postle as an alto 2, Maryn Roberts as a soprano 2, and Kaylin Rublin as an alto 1.
The 2023 Ohio State Fair runs July 26-Aug. 6. Over the course of the 12 days of the fair, the band and choir will perform nearly 200 times at various locations around the fair.
The All-Ohio State Fair Band, directed by Brian W. Dodd, is comprised of students in grades 9-12. Members of the band learn and rehearse more than 50 pieces of concert music to prepare for the fair, making sure to perfect John Philip Sousa’s “Stars and Stripes Forever!” that closes each of their performances.
The All-Ohio State Fair Youth Choir, directed by Dr. Jon C. Peterson, sings between six and eight concerts each day of the fair. The singers march up to 10 miles a day to various performance sites around the 360-acre Ohio Expo Center.
