Last week, music ensembles from Bishop O’Connell traveled to Montreal and Quebec City, Canada to perform in the Rhythms International Music Festival.
The trip included the mixed choir, the O’Connell Singers, the orchestra, the symphonic band, and the jazz ensemble. For the first time, the group also included the school’s popular guitar ensemble. Each group performed three or four musical selections for university level adjudicators. In addition to providing comments and ratings of the performances, the adjudicators also worked with each ensemble in a master class type setting addressing each musical selection that had been performed.
“Our ensembles were able to work with an extremely talented group of adjudicators who helped pull out the best in our students and inspired them to do even more,” said band teacher Mary Beth St. John.
While in Canada, students were able to tour both cities. Some of the highlights in Montreal were visiting the Notre Dame Cathedral in Old Montreal, Mont Royale, and having dinner at the Cabane a Sucre where the students made maple syrup lollipops on snow. In Quebec City, students were able to visit Old Quebec to take in the architecture and see one of the five Holy Doors in the world.
The festival ended with an awards ceremony banquet dinner and dance with live entertainment from a jazz quartet. As icing on the cake, members of the O’Connell’s jazz ensemble were invited to the stage to jam with the quartet during dinner.