Photo by Dwayne Black

About 100 middle and high school students took the stage to perform at the second annual Minnesota Southwest String Fest on Saturday at Southwest Minnesota State University. Stringed instrument players ages 13 to 18 gathered in Marshall for a day-long event, where students learned from clinicians and coaches, and heard music from guest artists. Students split up into two groups to rehearse pieces of music, which they played in a free public concert at the end of the day. The festival was made possible through a partnership between the Southwest Minnesota Orchestra, SMSU and the St. Joseph’s School of Music – St. Paul Conservatory of Music.