CREMONA - The Cremona School Grade 7-9 band earned a gold medal at a recent national festival, marking a significant achievement for the young musicians, Chinook’s Edge School Division (CESD) officials said in a release issued Tuesday.
The Nationals MusicFest Canada has held at York University in Toronto on May 13-17. The 37-student Cremona band qualified for the festival after an appearance at an Alberta festival last spring.
During the national festival, the band performed for 30 minutes, playing three songs: Eagle Song by Canadian composer Robert Buckley, Zenith by Peter Meechan, also a Canadian composer, and Marzo Zingaro by Randall Standridge.
“I’m very proud of the group for achieving the standard of excellence for their performance,” Cremona School band director Alex Hutcheon said in the release.
“What I am most proud of is the respect and gratitude that the students have displayed to our parent chaperones, tour guides, bus drivers and clinicians. They did a fantastic job representing our school, school division and our province.”
Band member Ada, a Grade 7 student, said the trip to Ontario, “strengthened our friendships, learned about individual responsibility, and gained a cultural experience from exploring a different part of our country.
“I really enjoyed watching the other groups perform. I had no idea that Canadian schools had string ensembles and that was great to watch.”
Grade 8 student Jillian added, “Musically, I really enjoyed listening to groups that sounded incredible. I feel like the concert hall we played in made our groups sound better than we ever have.
“Our group did a great job listening to one another and I am very proud of our group for achieving gold.”
Among the places the students visited were Niagara Falls, the Royal Ontario Museum, the Hockey Hall of Fame and a Blue Jays baseball game.
Hutcheon commended families and community members for their fundraising efforts in support of the trip.
