More than 700 middle and high school students from the St. Louis area will take part in two upcoming music festivals at the Blanche M. Touhill Performing Arts Center at the University of Missouri-St. Louis.

The concerts are organized by the E. Desmond Lee Fine Arts Education Collaborative at UMSL. The collaborative began in 1996 with three school districts and 12 schools. Today, there are 14 districts and more than 100 schools involved.

Participating arts organizations are: UMSL, the St. Louis Symphony, Opera Theatre of St. Louis, Young Audiences, The Sheldon Concert Hall, Jazz at the Bistro, The St. Louis Children's Choirs, Premiere Performances, Women in the Arts, Springboard to Learning and Prison Performing Arts.

The upcoming music festivals are:

* The E. Desmond Lee High School Music Festival will take place at 6:30 p.m. Feb. 8 at the Touhill Center. About 400 students from 14 school districts will participate. The concert is free and open to the public.

* The E. Desmond Lee Middle School Music Festival will take place at 6:30 p.m. Feb. 24 at the Touhill Center. About 300 students from 14 school districts will participate. The concert is free and open to the public.

Call (314) 516-5365 for more information about the concerts or the E. Desmond Lee Fine Arts Education Collaborative.