CCHS Symphony Band named winner of national music competition
The Cathedral City High School Symphony Band has been named one of the winners of the 2019 Mark of Excellence/National Wind Band Honors Project.
The band won for its performance at the historic Carnegie Hall in New York City back in March. The band received a gold rating and a standing ovation for the performance.
On the band’s Facebook page, band director Matthew Howe revealed that in May, he sent a recording of two of the band’s pieces from their Carnegie Hall performance. Howe wrote that the two performances he sent in were ‘L’Isle Joyous’ and ‘Blue Shades.’
More on the Carnegie Hall performance
There were a total of 320 entries for this competition from 38 states this year. The CCHS band is not just the only California school to win this year, but is also the first California band named a national-level winner since the competition started in 2007.
CCHS has previously been recognized as the state-level winner four times in this competition (2009, 2010, 2013 and 2016).
The band will receive a banner and plaque, which Howe says will be proudly hung in the band room. The band’s performance will also be featured in a CD with all the national winners. Howe also revealed that the band’s name will be featured on numerous regional and national music publications and at state and national conferences.
The Mark of Excellence is a national music competition that recognizes and awards outstanding achievement in performance by high school and middle school bands, choirs and orchestras. Nationally respected adjudicators judge ensembles and the top 25% of entrants are named as ‘National Winners’, with the second 25% named as ‘Commended Winners.’
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