AHS band has successful season

The Ada High School band concluded a successful 2013-2014 competitive season on the marching band field and on the concert band stage.  

In the fall, the band prepared for state-level competitions by competing in the Bron Warren Tigerpalooza Marching Band Contest at East Central University, as well as the Mustang Nightrider Invitational. In both cases, the band placed highly in class and open class awards.  

Following their tune-up contest, the band moved on to have success competing in statelevel competition, where they earned third place in Class 4A at the Oklahoma Bandmasters Association State Marching Band Championships on Oct. 12, 2013. The group followed up that state class award by earning straight first division superior ratings at the OSSAA Regional Marching Band Contest four days later.  

After marching season concluded, the band moved indoors and began preparing for district- and state-level concerts and sight-reading contests.  In March, the band competed at the district concert and sight-reading contest, once again earning straight first division superior ratings on stage and in sight-reading, which qualified the group to compete at the state contest April 23 at the Hallie Brown Ford Fine Arts Center at ECU.  

The band earned straight first division superior ratings in concert and sight-reading contests. The sweep of superior ratings at all regional, district and state-level contests earned the band the OSSAA Sweepstakes Award for the year, which is the instrumental music equivalent of earning a state championship in OSSAA competition.

The band's success in recent years has not gone unnoticed, as the band was recently invited to perform as an honor group at the Percy Grainger Music Festival on March 7, 2015, on stage at Symphony Center in Chicago. 

While in Chicago, the band will have the opportunity to attend several Chicago museums before attending a clinic by world-renowned wind band conductor Colonel Arnald Gabriel, who served as commander and conductor for the United States Air Force Band in Washington, D.C., from 1964 until 1985.  

The trip will culminate with a performance by the band at Orchestra Hall in the Symphony Center, one of the most prestigious concert halls in the world.