Listen The Concert Percussion Ensemble, now in its 20th Anniversary season, is recognized as one of the premier high school percussion ensembles in the State of Pennsylvania. As part of a comprehensive percussion program within the Mt. Lebanon School District, the Concert Ensemble allows students in grades 9-12 the opportunity to perform ensemble repertoire in a wide variety of performance situations. During the first semester, the Fall Concert Ensemble prepares music for the Holiday Bells, Mallets & Drums Concert Series. This series, now in its 8th season, features music of the holiday season performed on a wide variety of percussion instruments. Performances include two evening concerts and an afternoon Children's Concert at Mt. Lebanon HS. In addition, the ensemble travels to various performance sites throughout the Western PA area. Past venues have included the Pennsylvania State Capitol, Carnegie Museum, Western Pennsylvania School for Blind Children and numerous area churches and nursing homes. Since 1996, the ensemble has been honored to provide the music for the KDKA TV Children's Hospital Free Care Fund telethon. In December of 2000 and 2003, the Concert Ensemble was featured on WQED-FM's Performances in Pittsburgh During the spring semester, the Spring Concert Ensemble prepares for the popular Evening of Percussion Concert Series. The three evening and four matinee performances attract an audience of over 2000. This series is topped off the first week of June with a performance in the park as part of Mt. Lebanon's Concert in the Park Series. Through the years, the Concert Percussion Ensemble has received numerous first place awards and superior ratings in competitions around the country. In 2002, the Concert Ensemble was selected by the Pennsylvania Music Educator's Association as one of the outstanding musical ensembles in Pennsylvania. In recognition of this honor, the ensemble traveled to Philadelphia to perform for the PMEA'S Annual State Convention. In 1994, the Concert Ensemble began a commissioning series to promote the development of repertoire for high school percussion ensembles. To date, twelve compositions have been commissioned with four of those having received national publication. The Fall Concert Ensemble is open to any 9th-12th grade percussionist. The Spring Concert Ensemble is open to any 10th-12th grade percussionist who has successfully completed one year of playing in the Training Ensemble. The Concert Percussion Ensemble is directed by Richard T. Minnotte. He is assisted by Thomas A. Earley, Associate Director and Subha Das and Rick Laus, Assistant Directors. For further information on this ensemble, please visit the "News" page of this web site or contact Mr. Minnotte directly.