The St. Anne's Catholic Secondary School Concert Band has earned Gold Standing at the MusicFest Nationals.
The competition was held on May 11 in Niagara Falls. To attend this national festival, bands must first qualify with a high standing at a regional competition. The band received their invitation to Nationals at the MusicFest Regional festival in Blyth this past March.
This year, the national competition featured over 8,000 students from across the country, representing more than 300 ensembles competing at the highest level.
The 33 member St. Anne's band played three challenging pieces, earning Gold Standing from the judges. Following the band's performance, they participated in a one-hour workshop with an adjudicator. At the conclusion of this session, the band received an “Excellence in Clinic” award, which is reserved for groups that respond exceptionally well during the clinic.
Student Logan Allman also received a National Honour Award for his outstanding performance and leadership in the band.
"I am very proud of what these students have accomplished this year," said Mr. Josh Geddis, St. Anne's Music Teacher and Band Director. "It has been a landmark year for our band with a Gold standing at Regionals and a First Place with Distinction at Stratford Kiwanis. The Gold standing at Nationals is some well-deserved icing on the cake for this group of hard-working and committed students. I think this is a first for our group, going Gold across all of our performances. The students feel pretty great. There is no ‘AI’-ing your way around a band performance. It boils down to hard work, commitment, and growth over time to achieve something like this. I am so happy that this group gets to see their hard work and dedication pay off."
