C.V. musicians conquer festival

Last weekend the Crescenta Valley High School instrumental music department traveled to the Western Heritage Music Festival in San Francisco for its spring tour. The group consisted of 150 students from the school’s concert band, symphony orchestra, string orchestra and jazz band. The Festival is an educational opportunity for student musicians to further perfect their performing skills, achieving an elevated level of excellence. CV’s spring tour took place over two days with nearly 50 highly rated performing groups competing.

Bands were awarded classifications of gold, silver and bronze based on the judges’ scores. These scores were the basis of the competition’s placing. Crescenta Valley’s jazz band received a gold rating and earned first place.

Concert bands received a silver rating and earned first place as well.

Symphony orchestra earned a gold rating and took second in their division.

Finally, the string orchestra earned a silver rating in their competition.

The jazz band’s gold rating was the highest score received by any group at the competition, and their efforts were awarded with the coveted “Adjudicators Award.” CV also received the “Instrumental Sweepstakes” award, which is the highest total average of all our groups compared to all other schools in attendance. This acknowledgment recognized the hard work of all the students in the instrumental music groups at CVHS.

Additionally, out of the estimated 1,000 musicians participating in the festival, only six “Maestro Awards” were given out. This highly prestigious award is for the best instrumentalist or soloist in any of the groups. From CV, two such musicians were recognized: Dana Carey on the flute and Selina Magid on the bassoon.

CVHS has produced some very talented and hard working musicians under the direction of Mathew Schick. The award-winning performances by the bands in San Francisco are a tribute to Schick’s program.

The public is encouraged to attend the school’s spring concert on Friday, June 5.