Congratulations to the talented musicians of Regiopolis-Notre Dame Catholic High School (RND) Senior Concert Band, who recently won Silver in a competition held in New York City last month.
This achievement was accomplished by 48 out of 53 of the band members who travelled to the Big Apple to showcase their musical talent at the annual WorldStrides Heritage Music Festival, held in the Riverside Church on Saturday, April 29.
Abby Ows, Grade 12 student and trumpet player for the RND Senior Concert Band had a solo in one of the pieces they played at the competition.
“It felt very surreal performing my solo piece in NYC and I felt very privileged to represent the band like that," said Abby. "Winning silver at an international competition is something I don't think I will ever forget and I'm just so glad we got the chance to perform because for most of us this was the first year we were able to perform live in front of audiences."
Despite facing competition from private schools in Montreal and schools in the United States. the RND Senior Concert Band scored a remarkable 88, falling just two points short of the gold standard. It is worth noting that the RND Senior Concert Band has been a participant in this competition for over two decades.
The trip was organized and lead by Justine Lord, music teacher and department head of the arts at RND.
“The most rewarding part of the experience was seeing the time and hard work of the band pay off," said Ms. Lord. “The competition gave them a performance goal to work towards, and it helped them build the foundational skills required to become better musicians."
The trip was not all about competition. The band went to see a Broadway production of Wicked, went on a boat cruise around the Statue of Liberty and even attended Mass at St. Patrick's Cathedral. Two other noteworthy events, the students met the cast of Hadestown and got to see John Fogerty from Creedence Clearwater Revival.
