(COLUMBIA, Tenn. - March 4, 2013) - - - Columbia State Community College and Columbia Central High School held the 5^th Annual Maury County Choral Festival Thursday night at the high school. The event showcased elementary, middle, high school and college choral programs throughout Maury County.

"We had approximately 187 students participate in the festival," said Emily Gaskill, choir director and assistant professor of music at Columbia State. "This year's festival was extra special with our mass choir selection, "We Are the World," at the end. It was moving to see elementary, middle and high school students and students from Columbia State perform together."

The event featured music programs from Randolph Howell Elementary School, under the direction of Sandi Sanders Wilson; Mt. Pleasant Elementary School, directed by Joe Hovater; Highland Park Elementary School, directed by Holly Sanders; Mt. Pleasant Middle School, under the direction of Jill Butler; and Spring Hill Middle School, directed by Greg Walton.

Columbia Central's chamber singers, mixed chorus and girls' chorus performed under the direction of Susan Manning.

"It was great to see such an enthusiastic crowd at the festival," Manning said. "There were very few empty seats in Columbia Central's auditorium!"

The Maury County Choral Festival is sponsored by Columbia Central High School and Columbia State's Department of Music and Lyceum Committee.

Columbia State is a two-year college, serving a nine-county area in southern Middle Tennessee with locations in Columbia, Franklin, Lawrenceburg, Lewisburg and Clifton. As Tennessee's first community college, Columbia State is committed to increasing access and enhancing diversity at all five campuses. Columbia State is a member of the Tennessee Board of Regents, the sixth largest higher education system in the nation. For more information, please visit www.columbiastate.edu.