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The St. Anne’s Catholic Secondary School Concert Band has brought home silver after competing at the MusicFest Nationals on Tuesday, May 13th. The event was held at the Faculty of Music at York University, where more than 8,000 students from across Canada came together to showcase their musical talents.
Led by music teacher Josh Geddis, the St. Anne’s band performed three challenging pieces at the B300 level—an advanced class they moved into this year after earning a gold standing at the B200 level last year. The group is now back to competing at the same level they were before the pandemic.
To qualify for the Nationals, the band had to earn a high score at a regional event, which they did in March at Orillia Secondary School.
There are 33 members in the St. Anne’s Concert Band, and they received very positive comments from the judges at Nationals. Earlier this month, the band also played at the annual “May Melodies” concert, a sold-out show that featured almost 100 student musicians across several school ensembles.
Several individual students were recognized for their efforts this year. Divine Gervais (Alto Saxophone) received a Regional MusicFest Honour Award in March. Sam McNeil (Tuba) earned a National Honour Award in Toronto for his dedication and performance. Audrey Kreuger (Euphonium) was given the Senior Music Award at May Melodies and will be heading to Wilfrid Laurier University to study music in the fall.
While the national competition marks the end of the concert band season, there’s still more excitement ahead. On Tuesday, June 3, Danish singer-songwriter Tim Schou will visit St. Anne’s to perform for music students. And on Saturday, June 14th, the school’s rock band, The Screeching Eagles, will perform live at Goderich Square alongside Animal Mother (from GDCI) and The Rockin’ Stangs (from F.E. Madill) in a special high school rock band showcase.
It’s been a big year for the St. Anne’s music program, and students are ending the season on a high note.