Instrumental and Vocal Music
Our Program has a tradition of excellence that is rich in its history and achievements. Our ensembles have received many prestigious awards and recognitions on a national and international level including championships at festivals and competitions, performances at conferences and conventions, and guest appearances with professional orchestras and artists. Recent engagements include performances at Carnegie Hall, and with the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra, Present Music and the Milwaukee Choral Artists. In October, our instrumental and choral ensembles performed at the Milwaukee Archdiocesan Convention, and in November, our Pius XI Concert Choir was filmed for a national television Christmas broadcast on ABC.
Our Students experience a sequenced, four-year curriculum designed to build superior musicianship, develop a true sense of ensemble and hone the life skills of self-confidence, performance and presentation that are transferable to any vocation. Because we are a regional high school that attracts musicians from as far away as Madison and Kenosha, we offer opportunities for students at all levels of experience. From “Beginning Band and Strings” and “Mixed Chorus” to “Wind Ensemble” and “Concert Choir,” we offer a wide range of ensembles that best fit the needs of our student musicians. This year the orchestra program also offers an intermediate string class as well as an advanced chamber ensembles program. We even offer outstanding opportunities in Instrumental and Vocal Jazz, classes in music theory, multi-cultural music and musical theatre, as well as vocal chamber ensembles that dress in period costumes and perform music of the Renaissance. In addition, Pius students have received individual awards and recognitions in several areas including: The National Association of Teachers of Singing, the WSMA Honors Project, Milwaukee Youth Symphony Orchestra, Milwaukee Children’s Choir, Next Direction, the Regional Arts Recognition and Talent Search (ARTS) and the Florentine Opera High School Master Class Program.
Our concert season is an extension of our classroom. All of our ensembles perform regularly throughout the school year. Highlights of last year included combined choral and orchestral presentations of John Rutter’s Requiem at the historic Humphrey Scottish Rite Masonic Center as well as a “Lessons and Carols” Christmas Concert at St. John’s Cathedral. The entire music department presented “ Pius Christmas at the Domes” in early December, and in March traveled to the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champagne, where students received clinics from the U of I renowned music faculty. Following the day of clinics, the students embarked on a concert tour of service performances at schools, nursing homes, and places of worship, where they were well received and invited to please come again. In May of 2007, our Instrumental and Vocal Jazz combined for “Jazz Café Night,” a great evening of dancing and swing at the Wisconsin War Memorial at the lakefront. For tickets and more information about all of our concert performances, contact the Pius bookstore at (414) 290-8151
At Pius XI High School, we are proud of our history, committed to the present and invested in the future. COME AND SEE WHY.