Just 3.1 miles from Whitman’s small campus sits Walla Walla University, a campus of 1,831 Seventh-Day Adventist students. Within this school sits a variety of musical opportunities, one including the Music Department Showcase that takes place today, Thursday, March 5 at the University Church at 7:45 p.m.

Performances at the showcase will include the symphony orchestra, the large university singer’s choir, the cantori select choir and the wind symphony.

Another music event that will take place next week at Walla Walla University is the Honor Band Festival. In this festival, high schools students from around the country have auditioned to come together at the campus and perform on Saturday, March 7 at 4 p.m. as one large concert band piece.

“[We do it] to give high school students a challenge to be able to see what it’s like to perform with other students and also to keep them interested in performing. It gives them a challenging, satisfying and difficult experience,” said Music Department Chair Karen Thompson.

This event, which takes place every other year, is a uniquely competitive opportunity, and it also allows for students to stay on a college campus and feel the ebb and flow of daily college life. Walla Walla University junior Lindsey Armstrong took part in a similar program that was focused on choir when she was in high school.

“I absolutely loved coming to Walla Walla because I was immersed with all these college students, and it made me feel grown up,” she said. “It gives you a chance to do something that you love with a whole bunch of other like-minded people.”

The Music Department Showcase will occur in conjunction with the arrival of the students in the Honor Band. This way, Thompson said the WWU Music Department can “share with them what we do.”