The St. Anne's Catholic Secondary School concert band has made it to nationals in its return to competition after a three-year hiatus due to the pandemic.
The 27-member band won gold standing at MusicFest Regionals in Orillia on Thursday, March 30. The victory secured the band an invitation to MusicFest Canada Nationals which will be held in Niagara Falls, May 15-20.
Fifth-year student Elianne Kreuger received special recognition with an Honour Award for her dedication to the music program and the concert band. She is the only student in the band to experience band before, during, and after the pandemic.
The band experienced a dramatic decrease in participation during the pandemic, getting halved from the over 50 students that took part in 2019-20.
“When the year started, we had 16 students in the band, that number has grown to 27 now," says Josh Geddis, music teacher and band director. "What makes this band particularly interesting is that five of the band members are in Grade 9 and have only been playing their instrument for six months. Our senior students had an extremely shaky two-and-a-half years of limited playing due to Covid. When you hear this group, they play like a band with twice the experience, and sound like a group twice their size. I am incredibly proud of these young musicians for bringing band back to St. Anne’s. Going from 16 to 27 members and a gold standing in less than a year is a very fast turn-around.”
Along with Nationals, the band is looking forward their annual fundraiser, the “May Melodies” concert. This event will feature the concert band, jazz band, special guests and a performance by the HPCDSB Huron County Honour Band.
The “May Melodies” concert which will be held on Thursday, May 4 in the St. Anne’s Gym at 6:30 p.m. Admission is a suggested donation of $5 or more. Children under 12 are free.
