An electrifying show echoed within the Bellefontaine High School Auditorium Tuesday night.

The Bellefontaine City Schools Orchestra took the stage with famous musician Mark Wood for Electrify Your Strings.

Wood is a recording artist, performer, producer, inventor, Emmy-Award winning composer, and Juilliard trained music advocate.

He rose to fame as string master and original member of the internationally acclaimed Trans-Siberian Orchestra.

Wood’s true passion is music education. His program is an intensive rock and roll workshop for music education departments.

He visits nearly 60 schools per year nationwide.

Wood led workshops at Bellefontaine on Monday and Tuesday.

He met with BCS students via Zoom last month.

During the concert, Wood reiterated the importance of the arts in education.

He said music stimulates the brain each day for kids and adults.

The BCS Orchestra has 99 members in grades 6-12.

They played a number of hit songs with Wood, including “Crazy Train,” “Sunshine of Your Love,” and “Thunderstruck.”

Wood entertained the crowd with a couple of solos.

He met with families following the concert for autographs and photos.

Amari Hunsicker won an electronic violin signed by Wood.

Hunsicker is a member of the 6th grade orchestra.

BCS Orchestra Director Laura Mitchell reflected on the show. “This event opens everybody up. We’re used to doing exactly what’s on the paper. When Mark comes, there’s this magic for the kids. It was a return to extraordinary normal after COVID.”

You can watch some of the concert with these two links.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1C8OLfiqHzJhXDdpKI9fP9wvivAz8cm0U/view

https://drive.google.com/file/d/14qh9S5FSy8b6CIddJKnFQV_a_nskRt01/view

Wood played with BCS students four years ago.

His initial concert with Bellefontaine students was in 2001.

Finally, members of the BHS Orchestra were featured in a session led by Wood at the Ohio Music Educators Conference in Cincinnati in January 2020.

Photos: The BCS Orchestra plays with Mark Wood Tuesday night.