Hours of extra rehearsal time and preparation paid off for music students at South Delta Secondary.
Last weekend 45 students from the SDSS music department picked up nine awards at the Heritage Music Festival in Seattle.
The junior choir won gold, concert choir silver and jazz band bronze. The Sun Devils were also selected as the most outstanding choral group and SDSS earned the Sweepstakes Award for best overall combined score from the three choirs.
Solo maestro awards were also presented to Connor Nelson, Trista Lang and Kirra Dodd, while Nelson also won an Ovation Award for his outstanding musicianship.
SDSS has been attending this national festival at various locations for several years and has achieved many awards, but last weekend’s efforts tops them all, according to SDSS music director Danielle Hamilton.
“Winning the Sweepstakes Award was a real shock – we have never had that happen before,” said Hamilton. “In 2009 we won most outstanding choral group in New York City and it is almost 10 years to the day that here we win this again in Seattle, but then we sweep it with their Sweepstakes Award? That was not on my radar. It was so cool and an unreal experience.”
Hamilton credited all of the students for their fantastic effort.
“I have to say the level of commitment this year and dedication to the rehearsal process, and the extra rehearsals we had at lunch hour to get ready for this was really nothing like I have seen before,” she said. “Last year we were half a point away from gold in Anaheim, so the students were hungry. They wanted to prove to themselves that they could achieve gold, so we just had it in our minds that we would win.
“When they announced the award, the kids were just elated because that was their goal, but then to top it off as a total program, which honours every single kid that went on the trip, it says to every single kid that your music program is honoured with the highest honour we can give you. I think that’s an amazing thing for everyone.”
