Two student bands from Richmond recently impressed judges at MusicFest Canada's nationals.
Palmer secondary's jazz and concert bands were awarded gold and silver, respectively, at the 52nd annual MusicFest Canada, held in Toronto from May 13 to 18.
"Watching and feeling all the amazing performances showed me how all the hard work culminates in something beautiful and memorable," said Grade 9 student Yana Choudhary.
"It has reignited my passion and determination to continue my musical journey."
Marvin Chen, Grade 10 student, added the festival is "one of the most memorable highlights" of his time in high school.
"To perform at a national level brings pride to me and the entire band, acknowledging our perseverance and dedication to music," he explained.
The festival is by invitation only and the bands had previously secured their spots by winning a gold standing at regional festivals leading up to the event, explained music teacher Iris Chan.
She added the invitation is "traditionally considered as a prestigious acknowledgement."
"It’s surreal how we finally got to go on the national stage at MusicFest Canada, after waiting for several years through the pandemic," Chan told the Richmond News.
According to Chan, Palmer secondary was one of the few West Coast schools to attend this year's in-person festival. Its concert band had previously won its first festival invitation in 2019 and won gold and silver in 2021 and 2022 respectively.
Rather than working on perfecting the music, Chan said the most important focus was to have a "unique experience" where students were able to develop socio-emotional learning, connection, teamwork and care for each other through being in an ensemble.
"The immense joy, energy and excitement each student experienced through this journey was priceless, and this will for sure be memorable for the rest of their lives after high school," she added.
The bands' repertoires at this year's festival each included three songs. The concert band performed Robert Sheldon's "Golden Panther March," Cait Nishimura's "Chasing Sunlight" and Robert Buckley's "Jitterbug!"
Meanwhile, the jazz band performed "Work Song" by Nat Adderly and arranged by Erik Morales, "Blue Moon" by Richard Rogers and arranged by Victor Lopez and "Blues for Three Brothers" by Armando Rivera.
The jazz band's performance can be found here, while footage of the concert band is available here.
Got an opinion on this story or any others in Richmond? Send us a letter or email your thoughts or story tips to [email protected]. To stay updated on Richmond news, sign up for our daily headline newsletter.
