Faculty

Mr. David Bell  (513) 619-2438
Mr. Ben Spalding (513) 619-2439

News OF Note

Varsity Ensemble Performs at the Great Wall near Beijing, China 2008

Course Offerings

• Chorus
• Girl's Chorale
  
• Concert Choir
• Varsity Ensemble  click here to listen to this award-winning group;  click here to view pictures of the Varsity Ensemble leading the 2007 Red's Opening Day Parade. Click here to listen to the 2008-2009 Varsity Ensemble.
  

 Extra-Curricular Offerings

• Spring Musical Theater Production
• Gospel Keys  click here to listen to this group
• Harmony Men's Acapella Group
  
• Counterpoint Women's Contemporary Acapella Group
  

Department Information

The Winton Woods School District music department has been cited for excellence in the performing arts by the United States House of Representatives, the Ohio State Senate and the Ohio Board of Education. The high school choral program was also identified by Dr. James Cox of Drake University as one of the "Outstanding Choral Programs in Ohio." The Winton Woods High School choral program is comprised of four choirs involving over 250 students and 2 full-time staff members.

We are especially proud that one of the Winton Woods high school choirs performed this March in both Beijing and Shanghai, China in a "Salute to the 2008 Beijing Olympics" under composer/conductor Rollo Dilworth.  They also performed later in the spring of 2008 with the Cincinnati Pops Orchestra under Maestro, Erich Kunzel.

The Winton Woods High School choirs under current director, David M. Bell, are recognized among the finest high school choirs in the Midwest. The Varsity Ensemble and Concert Choir have performed over seventeen times with the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra and Cincinnati Pops under the direction of Music Directors, Eric Kunzel and Jesus Lopez-Cobos as well as Associate Conductors, John Morris Russell and Keith Lockhart. The Winton Woods Choirs have also recorded two CD¹s with the Cincinnati Pops for Telarc Records. "Mega-Movies," premiered at number fourteen on the Billboard magazine classical-crossover charts and "Scary Music," was released in 2001. This year they also appeared with the Cincinnati Pops in a national PBS broadcast "Fourth of July from the Heartland," which was viewed by nearly 7 million viewers in 5.1 million households.

Cincinnati audiences have seen them as guest performers at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music "Feast of Carols, " at the inaugural "Sing Cincinnati!" Festival and at the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra¹s "Home for the Holidays." They have also performed with Rosemary Clooney, Doc Severinsen, country artist, Reba McEntire, Danny Glover, Tom Wopat, Bob McGrath of Sesame Street, and the Vocal Arts Ensemble of Cincinnati. The choirs have appeared regularly upon Cincinnati radio and television, including the Emmy-Award-Winning "Tall Stacks Farewell Ceremony" broadcast of 1995, the 1996 "Cincinnati Olympic Torch Farewell Ceremony" and "Cincinnati Sings Noel," also broadcast in 1996. During December of 1999, they appeared in three performances with the Cincinnati Children¹s Theater and Cincinnati Opera Outreach Ensemble in a performance of "Amahl and the Night Visitors."

The Winton Woods High School choirs are also recognized for their ongoing premier performances of new choral works, eight since 1992 (six of which were written specifically for the choir and three of which were commissioned by the choir). The high school choirs set a high standard of performance and have qualified for state-level competition by receiving "superior" ratings at the district level every year for the past twenty-six years. The combined forces of the Varsity Ensemble and the Concert Choir have been awarded the "grand champion trophy" for being the outstanding choir at three national competitions since 1990. The most recent was this past May at the 1999 Performing Arts Consultants Festival in New York City. The combined Winton Woods High School Varsity Ensemble and Concert Choir also performed at the 1995 North Central Division Convention of the Music Educators National Conference in Indianapolis, Indiana, as well as the 1987 Ohio Music Education Association State Conference.

All choirs are team-taught by Mr. Bell and Mr. Ben Spalding. Mr. Ben Spalding is well known by residents of the Winton Woods City School District as he is a graduate of our school district.  Mr. Spalding comes to the high school with five years of teaching experience at both the middle school and high school levels.  Mr. Spalding received his Bachelor degree in Music Education from the University of Kentucky, where he studied with Mr. Jefferson Johnson. Mr. Bell was recently recognized as the Winton Woods City Schools 2008 Teacher of the Year at the Hamilton County Educational Foundation "Celebrate Excellence" ceremony in May of 2008.  Mr. Bell received his Bachelor of Arts degree from Northern Illinois University and his Master of Music degree in choral conducting from the University of Cincinnati, College-Conservatory of Music.

Multicultural music plays an important role in our eclectic selection of music. Priorties are accountability in developing individual talents and skills and building up a choral group to work together to attain a goal.

WWHS Choir Students Receive Prestigious Award in National Music Competition

On Friday, April 28, 2006, a choir of seventy students representing several music ensembles from Winton Woods High School competed in the Festivals of Music national music competition in Chicago, Illinois. The Winton Woods High School choir was awarded the Tim Lautzenheiser "Espirit de Corps" Award. This was the only award given across all performing categories and it was presented to the ensemble that represented themselves with the greatest class, character, dignity, sportsmanship and support for one another and the other performing groups. Over thirty-eight bands, orchestras and choirs representing Ohio, Michigan, Indiana, Nebraska, Pennsylvania and Ontario, Canada participated in the competition.

*Pictured left to right: David Bell (WWHS Choir Director), Amaris Gause (VE President), Tim Lautzenheiser, Jermaine Watts (CC Vice President) and Bob Hartigan (retired WWHS Assistant Director).

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Course Assignment Links

• Chorus
• Girls Chorale
• Concert Choir
• Varsity Ensemble