Middle school orchestra students from across the region circled their stands around the hall outside the E. Desmond and Mary Ann Lee Theater as Truman Middle School’s Michelle Howard vociferously directed their resounding music.

One of the many student groups, they practiced their piece wherever they found waiting space during the packed 2018 Des Lee Fine Arts Festival at the University of Missouri–St. Louis.

Almost 1,000 local high school and middle school students attended the two-day festival held at the Blanche M. Touhill Performing Arts Center. The annual festival is hosted by the School of Fine and Performing Arts and E. Desmond Lee Fine Arts Education Collaborative at UMSL, which aims to connect fine arts educators, artists and performers with St. Louis students.

Organized by Michael Smith, the collaborative director and the E. Desmond Lee Endowed Professor of Music Education, the festival offered clinics across the arts that culminated in gallery showings and performances Wednesday evening.

This photograph was taken by UMSL photographer August Jennewein and is the latest to be featured in Eye on UMSL.