Oak Bay High students selected to perform in prestigious concerts in Vancouver

Each year a precious few musicians are selected to perform in the British Columbia Honour Ensembles Concerts, hosted by the British Columbia Music Educators’ Association (BCMEA).

This year nine Oak Bay High School students performed.

“It is an amazing honour to be selected,” said Oak Bay High’s Choir Director Tina Horwood. “We are incredibly proud of these hard-working musicians and their acceptance to these prestigious music ensembles. … They are truly among the best student musicians in B.C.”

Students had approximately four days of intense practice in Vancouver to learn their music ahead of the concerts in front of a large crowd of music teachers, performers and parents.

“Their dedication level was phenomenal,” said Horwood. “Honestly my students looked like they were performing the whole time during rehearsals because they were so pumped.”

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Five ensembles performed, including the honour wind ensemble, jazz band, concert choir, jazz choir and strings.

Oak Bay High students selected include Emmett Hodgins, Brandon Kim, Meghan Lancaster and Fionalee Lustado, who were part of the honour vocal jazz ensemble; Mia Kennedy and Allison Karim, who were part of the honour wind ensemble; and Owen Chow and Clay Wilkinson, who were part of the honour jazz ensemble. Although Danika Pal was also selected, she was not able to attend the event.

Students applied and auditioned in the spring.

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The BCMEA hosts an annual conference each October for music teachers from all over the province to engage in professional development over the course of a weekend. The opportunity for B.C. students to play in the British Columbia Honour Ensembles Concerts is provided as part of this conference.

“Students come back to Oak Bay with a world view on music, new friendships and having had the opportunity to perform at a higher level,” said Horwood. “They bring back to their classrooms a fresh perspective on music making and what it means to be part of the Honour Ensembles.”