Woodlands Academy musicians win gold in Philly

Woodlands Academy of the Sacred Heart received several top honors at the WorldStrides OnStage Heritage Festival April 27-28 in Philadelphia.

Gold awards were won by the Kaleidoscope choir, under the direction of Kevin Burrow; the Woodlands Academy Symphonic Orchestra, under the direction of Lauren Moldenhauer; and the student-led Microscope choir, under the direction of Paige Bartusiak, a senior from Lake Forest.

Along with its gold award, Woodlands' orchestra and Kaleidoscope choir each received an invitation to participate in the Festival of Gold held at Orchestra Hall in Chicago in April 2020.

Festival of Gold provides four experiences in one: a festival performance; in-depth, hourlong clinics with its acclaimed clinicians; an encore concert featuring all festival ensembles; and honor choir, honor band and honor orchestra distinctions.

In order to participate, an ensemble must achieve either a Gold rating at a recent Heritage Festival, Superior rating at a recent state contest or by audition.

In addition to the ensemble accolades, two Woodlands Academy students won a total of three Maestro (individual) awards at the Philadelphia competition. Bartusiak received two Maestros: one for her leadership of the Microscope choir and the other for an "outstanding" cello solo during the orchestra's performance.

Ria Chen, a senior from China, received a Maestro award for an "outstanding" violin solo.

"I am incredibly proud of what we do as a music department and what the students have been able to accomplish as young musicians," Moldenhauer said.

"The orchestra has grown exponentially in the past six years, in both size and musical maturity. The golden results that the orchestra and choirs were able to achieve in Philadelphia are a testament to the caliber of the Woodlands Academy student musicians and faculty."

Mary Clare Scalise, a senior from Glencoe who's a member of all three Gold award-winning ensembles, described the experience as truly uplifting for all the participating students.

"We were really proud of ourselves, but, more importantly, of each other, and this support and encouragement is really what the Woodlands community is all about," she said. "We had an amazing weekend taking a lot of fun pictures at historical sites, singing on the bus, and touring Philadelphia together."

The community will have the opportunity to hear the musical selections performed in Philadelphia - plus others - when the choirs and orchestra perform at 7 p.m. Friday, May 17, during Woodlands Academy's annual Fine Arts Evening.

WorldStrides OnStage Heritage Festivals provide opportunities for middle and high school musicians to visit one of more than 25 cities in the U.S. and abroad, perform for nationally acclaimed adjudicators, and learn from the feedback they receive.

For more information about Woodlands Academy, visit www.woodlandsacademy.org.

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