DIDSBURY - The Didsbury High School Symphonic Winds ensemble achieved a gold standing at the prestigious MusicFest national music festival Wednesday morning.
The Grade 10-12 band, made up of 75 students under the direction of longtime teacher Kirk Wassmer, is in Toronto for the competition which runs May 14-18.
The students are also accompanied by more than a dozen chaperones on the trip.
“It’s truly an honour to be invited to this event,” said Wassmer, who has been teaching music at DHS for 23 years. “I am excited for the students to have this experience, and for them to see that it’s their hard work and the music that makes it all possible.”
The band will be performing Diamond Tide by Viet Chong, Autumn by Cait Nishimura, and Fracas by Randall Standridge.
Melina Quintana Solis is a Grade 11 DHS student and musician.
“Heading to MusicFest - The Nationals - in Toronto, a city I’ll be seeing for the first time, is somethings I’ve been looking forward to since the DHS Maritimes Band trip last year,” Solis said.
“I’m incredibly grateful to be part of a music program that can go on trips like this.”
The DHS was invited to MusicFest following its performance at a music festival in Acadia University last spring.
