The Hill will be alive with the sounds of symphonies, the blues of jazz and the harmonies of choral music at the 13th annual Prism concert this Friday night.

This concert, starting at 8 p.m. in Van Meter and costing $10, is a diverse showcase of the talent of Western musicians. Students from the music department as well as other students will perform.

Joe Stites, Director of the Tuba-Euphonium Ensemble and assistant music professor, said the concert serves as a recruitment process, as well as entertainment.

“It serves a lot of purpose for the music department and is a very exciting time for us,” he said.

The show will be featuring a show of lights as well as performances from more than 15 different musical groups, including the band Rapid Fire, the Treblemakers, the Redshirts, the jazz band, the pep band, symphonic band and an array of other ensembles, Stites said.

The Honors Band Clinic, which is made up of high school students from Kentucky, will also be attending the concert as part of their clinic.

This is the sixth year that Franklin graduate student Matt Shores is participating in the show.

Shores thinks the concert serves as a great recruiting tool for their department and for music in general.

“There are always new ensembles and groups that sign up to participate, so each year the show is fresh and new,” Shores said.

Shores said he thinks the show will be just as successful as it has been in previous years. He looks forward to participating in it.

For Preston Neal, a sophomore from Bowling Green and a drummer, the concert provides a sense of diversity.

“Even though most of the songs we perform for Prism we are familiar with, it is always interesting to see what new musical pieces and solos the other groups work up,” Neal said.

Neal is a part of the drum line at Western. Neal said that as a group, they’re always trying to get familiar with other instruments and musical groups. Group performances aren’t always easy things to come by without a lot of work, he said.

“By participating in this concert I get more of a feel for other instruments,” he said. “I think that is partly why this concert draws in so many people with different musical tastes, which helps make it so successful.”

Reach Alex Booze at diversions@chherald.com.