Kell High School Wind Ensemble

Performer Details

Performer Bio Synopsis

Since opening in 2002, the Kell High School band program has quickly established a reputation for musical excellence. The 52-member Wind Ensemble is the top-performing ensemble within a three-tiered concert band program, which includes the Symphonic Band and the Concert Band. Each of these ensembles meets for 90 minutes a day on a modified hybrid block schedule. Students in the Kell band program are consistently members in the District 12 Honor Band, Georgia All-State Band, Atlanta Symphony Youth Orchestra, Atlanta Youth Wind Symphony, Georgia Youth Symphony Orchestra, and the Georgia Governors Honors Program. With the concert bands at the core of the music curriculum, students also have the opportunity to participate in a variety of extracurricular ensembles. These include the 140-member marching band, full symphony orchestra, pit orchestra for the spring musical, numerous chamber ensembles, two jazz bands, a percussion ensemble, and a nationally renowned “Stomp” Ensemble. The Kell Band Booster Association (KBBA) sponsors an after-school private lesson conservatory with an outstanding faculty of professional musicians. Since its opening in 2002, the Kell Band program has grown to over 200 total students in grades 9-12. Two middle schools feed into Kell High School—McCleskey Middle School (directors Jody Miller and Andrew Paller) and Palmer Middle School (directors Sue Bulock and Rick Dietrich). We are fortunate to have two strong band programs feed into our high school, where great teachers combine with great students and great parents. The Kell Cluster is characterized by a collegiality and camaraderie that is truly unique.

Kell High School Wind Ensemble

Conductor's Bio

David Roth joined the faculty at Kell High School as the Assistant Director of Bands in 2008 and was named Director of Bands in 2011. Under his direction, the Kell Wind Ensemble has performed at the Music For All Southeastern Regional Concert Festival (2017), GMEA State Convention (2016), and the January High School Music Festival (JanFest) in Athens, GA (2013). In 2010, the Kell Wind Symphony performed at the Midwest Band and Orchestra Clinic and the marching band won two back-to-back BOA Regional Championships. Prior to joining the Kell program Mr. Roth was the Assistant Director of Bands at Kennesaw Mountain High School where, in December 2006, he conducted the Kennesaw Mountain Wind Symphony at the Midwest Band and Orchestra Clinic. A native of Marietta, Georgia, Mr. Roth graduated magna cum laude from the University of Georgia in December 2003 with a Bachelor of Music degree in Music Education and Music Composition and received his Master’s degree in Music Education from the University of Illinois in August 2007. While at UGA, Mr. Roth studied conducting with Dr. John Culvahouse, clarinet under Drs. Dannene Drummond, D. Ray McClellan, and Theodore Jahn, and studied composition with Dr. Leonard V. Ball, Jr. In addition, he has studied at the University of North Texas with Dr. Cindy McTee (composition) and under Professor James Keene while at the University of Illinois. Mr. Roth was a member of the Carolina Crown Drum and Bugle Corps from 2000-2003, serving as the corps’ drum major from 2001-2003. While a member of Carolina Crown, he helped found the Carolina Crown Student Leadership Task Force, an initiative aimed at enhancing the level of student leadership within the corps and still in effect today. He is currently active as an adjudicator, clinician, and music arranger across the Southeast. His professional affiliations include the National Band Association, Pi Kappa Lambda, Georgia Music Educator’s Association, Music Educator’s National Conference, and Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia. Mr. Roth lives in Kennesaw, GA with his husband Jeff and three-year old son Jacob.