Ensembles Score Big at Heritage Music Festival

Milken’s musical ensembles had a few more things to pack when they returned home from the WorldStrides OnStage Heritage Festival in Anaheim. Six Milken ensembles performed at the national competition held March 27-29, and took home several plaques and trophies. The Jazz Ensemble, Chamber Ensemble, Concert Orchestra, Beginning Orchestra, Kol Echad, and Middle School Kol Echad all took their turns on the stage.

In their best showing ever, the ensembles cleaned up with five gold plaques (which represents the top ten percent of ensembles nationwide) and one silver plaque. They also brought home four out of six “best overall” trophies.This feat is made even more impressive because Milken, a 1A school, competed against much larger 3A schools with twice the number of students. Typically, the 3A schools come away with the top awards. For the first time, Milken won the top award: the Sweepstakes for Total Program trophy — the best overall combined music program (orchestra, band, and choir), and the Sweepstakes for Instrumental Program trophy — the overall combined instrumental program (band and orchestra).

In addition to the group honors, two students received special recognition with individual Maestro awards for their outstanding solos. Ethan Shenassa ’20, who performed in the Chamber and Concert Orchestras, won a Maestro Award for his violin solos. “Heritage was a fantastic experience,” expressed Shenassa. “I was able to bond with friends in new ways that I had never thought of before, and the feedback from the judges was immensely insightful.”

The second student to secure individual honors was Elijah Pressman ’21, who won the individual Maestro award for outstanding soloist for his guitar work. “It was very exciting to receive this award,” said Pressman. “I was not expecting it and it was a thrill when they called my name. I’m so proud to be a part of such a dynamic group of musicians.”

 

The Orchestra Ensembles received the Outstanding Orchestra Group trophy. The Chamber Ensemble and Beginning Orchestras both earned gold ratings, and the Concert Orchestra received a silver rating. “Our students worked hard and played their hearts out at the festival,” said Director David Brown. “Their wins are the culmination of years of development and practice. I couldn’t be prouder!” Asked if the orchestras did anything differently this year, Brown noted that each year the ensembles get bigger and better.

He attributed it to starting a beginning music program for students when he arrived at Milken four years ago. It attracted many new students, increasing their numbers each year. Brown noted that the Chamber Ensemble tried some things outside the box such as playing the 80s song “Take On Me” with non-traditional instruments like plastic sound tubes and laptop keyboards. They also performed “Ashokan Farewell” and “La La Land.”The Concert Orchestra played “Thriller,” “Bugler’s Dream,” and “Mambo.” The Beginning Ensemble’s repertoire included “Can Can,” “French Folk,” and “Jingli Nona.”

 

The Kol Echad and Middle School Kol Echad both brought home gold ratings for their outstanding performances. “We have really dedicated students that worked hard,” Director Sarah Shapiro said. “Without their openness and willingness to jump off a cliff with me, we wouldn’t have been able to do what we did.” The Kol Echad performed the selections “Hard Times Come Again No More” by Stephen Foster, “Besame Mucho,” and “One Voice,” with soloists Aviva Miller ’20, Megan Laria ’19, and Eliyah Stern ’21, accompanied by Lena Gorohovsky. The Middle School Kol Echad performed “For Good” (featuring 8th graders as soloists), “Go the Distance,” and “Hashalom.”

 

Eden Sweet ’22, a member of the Middle School Kol Echad, enjoyed being with such a talented, passionate group of people. "Participating in the Heritage Festival was an amazing experience,” she said. “Winning awards showed how strong the music program is at Milken, and I am so proud to be a part of it.”

 

The Jazz Ensemble, directed by Ken Lasaine, came away with the Outstanding Band Group trophy as well as a gold rating. They performed “Desafinado” by Antonio Carlos Jobim, “Sister Sadie” by Horace Silver, and “Take the A-Train” by Duke Ellington.

 

The festival culminated with an awards ceremony held at Disneyland, a merry affair complete with Disney characters and dancers, hosted by Merlin the Magician. Sunday, the students celebrated by spending the day at the park.

 

It was an unforgettable experience for the students. “Being with such a talented group of people inspired me to become a better musician, and reminded me to never give up on your dreams," remarked Sweet.

“Winning that award was honestly one of the most amazing things that happened for me in the last year,” said Kol Echad member Elijah Dardashty ’20. “Being a part of such a talented choir is just incredible.”

Congratulations to all of our ensembles for their remarkable performances.