Highland Academy hosts Seventh-day Adventist Music Festival

The Kentucky-Tennessee Conference of the Seventh-day Adventist Church held its annual Music Festival on the campus of Highland Academy in Portland on March 7-8, 2025. This year’s theme was “Find Us Faithful.”

The academy has hosted the festival for over 30 years, with 310 students participating this year. The students presented the Sacred Concert on Friday night with the Secular Concert on Saturday. Raphan Ley Auditorium was full each night with the students and guests who came to enjoy the concerts.

Students from middle and high schools joined to present a masterful musical program. The program featured the Festival Band, Academy Festival Choir, Festival Handbell Choir, Middle School Choir and Festival String Ensemble. The program closed each evening with all five groups combining to present a final ensemble, with each director leading his/her group.

The event is organized by the Kentucky-Tennessee Conference, with Elaine Will serving as Music Festival Chairperson. It is hosted each year by Highland Academy.

“The department of education for Kentucky-Tennessee Conference of Seventh-day Adventists strongly believes in the musical arts and is happy to invite highly qualified music teachers to work with our young people,” Will said. “We are grateful to Highland Academy for hosting the event.”

Will brings outstanding clinicians to work with the students. William Chunestudy conducted the Academy Choir. Chunestudy conducts music festivals and workshops across the United States and abroad. Shelly Miller directed the Festival Handbell Choir. She led the Highland Academy Handbell Choir for seven years. The Middle School Choir was led by Joshua Goines, who has led choral festivals across the Midwest and South.

Donald Huff directed the band. Huff directs multiple bands and teaches private lessons in Ohio. Kelly Wiedemann Jaén led the Festival String Ensemble. She is Associate Music Director and English teacher at Shenandoah Valley Academy in Virginia.

Special guest Steve Martin performed several pieces he had written and played several instruments during his performances, in addition to participating with other ensembles. He has been the music director for 42 years at North Shore Adventist Academy and teaches at Gurnee Christian Academy.

Each performance ended with all five ensembles joining together to perform “Praise Ye the Triune God” with Donald Huff leading the entire ensemble. During the group ensemble, Tom Cushing led the band.

Highland Academy Music Director Haroldo Aldardez said, “The Music Festival improves in both size and quality each year. Local students enjoy hosting students that come from 11 schools, who love coming to Highland.”