CHS music students sweep top awards

SOUNDING OFF-The music students of Calabasas High celebrate at the Heritage Music Festival.

Music students from four ensembles at Calabasas High School competed in the Heritage Music Festival in New Orleans last month and two school choirs and the jazz band came home winners of the prestigious Gold Award.

Approximately 170 students and 18 chaperones traveled to the Big Easy, touring the French Quarter, taking in jazz performances at Preservation Hall, snapping photos of alligators on a swamp tour, and cruising down the Mississippi on a paddleboat for dinner and dancing to a Dixieland band.

But the highlight of the four-day trip was the Heritage Music Festival where CHS competed against groups from Mississippi, Canada, Missouri, Tennessee, Florida, and West Virginia.

Following an afternoon at Six Flags, New Orleans, the Calabasas students reigned victorious at an awards ceremony held at the historic Orpheum Theater. Vivace, the CHS women’s choir, and Maestoso, the mixed choir received Gold Awards and invitations to the Festival of Gold for next year.

The Wind Ensemble took the Silver Award, and the Instrumental Sweepstakes Award along with the Jazz A Band for the most outstanding instrumental program. The Jazz A Band received the Gold Award as well as the Adjudicator’s Award (an award given to select outstanding groups by the judges), and the Outstanding Band Award (given to the best overall band regardless of category).

In addition, Calabasas received the Heritage Sweepstakes Award for the most outstanding music program.

Josh Barroll is the CHS music director.