by Mark McDermott
The Manhattan Beach Middle School and Mira Costa High School orchestras were honored last week for their performances at the Southern California School Band and Orchestra Association music festival at Santa Ana High School. The Chamber Orchestra and String Ensemble from MBMS and the Philharmonic, Sinfonietta, Symphony, and Chamber Orchestras from Mira Costa all earned the highest possible honor from festival judges — a “Unanimous Superior” rating.
“It is not easy to earn a Superior rating, let alone a Unanimous Superior,” said Peter Park, director of orchestras at Mira Costa. “SCSBOA adjudicators are trained to award the Superior rating sparingly for truly exceptional ensembles, so the fact that all participating orchestras from our secondary schools earned the highest possible recognition is a signal of the rigor and quality of our music programs throughout MBUSD.”
Denise Haslop, the MBMS director of instrumental music, said that despite the many plaudits the program has received — MBUSD music programs won Grammy Awards — the unusualness of the judges’ high rating was particularly meaningful.
“The judges mentioned that providing critical comments was challenging due to the strengths and maturity of our ensembles,” Haslop said. “Even with our track record of excellence, getting a Unanimous Superior rating isn’t something we can take for granted.”
The SCSBOA festival took place on March 11. The MBMS String Ensemble made a triumphant appearance at the Board of Education the following evening, performing one of the pieces they performed at the festival, Mozart’s “Eine kleine Nachtmusik.”
“The judges there were very, very complimentary. They said that the performance was very mature, and [the ensemble] played and performed beyond our years,” told the school board. “So we’re all very proud of them for all the hard work that you’ve put into this. Tonight is about enjoying it, and sharing your love of music with the rest of us.”
A reprise of the Mira Costa High School Philharmonic and Symphony Orchestra performances takes place Thursday at 7 p.m. in the MCHS Auditorium. The orchestras will be joined by the high school Symphonic Band, Wind Ensemble, and Wind Symphony, who will be performing at their SCSBOA adjudicated festival on March 27 at Arcadia High School. Attendance for the high school festival concert is free and open to the public. ER
