The Archbishop John Carroll High School band and choir went home May 19 from the Music Showcase Festivals with four trophies and seven solo awards. The choir, jazz band, and orchestra ranked higher than two other schools competing.

Participants said the competition went well.

“It was certainly a success,” sophomore Rameer Woods said. “We literally got every single solo award.”

At Bishop McDevitt High School in Harrisburg, Archbishop John Carroll High School, Julius West Middle School, and New Millford High School performed songs to be judged out of a scale of 100 points. The choir sang first, performing three songs. Afterwards, the orchestra performed “Choose Joy” and “Black Forest Overture.”

“I was a little bit nervous for my solo before and during the performance.” said violin player Gabe Petrecz, a senior. “However, as soon as I started playing, those nerves settled down a good bit.” 

The jazz band finished off the competition, performing “Runaway Baby” and “Gonna Fly Now.”

An awards ceremony was held in the afternoon at Hershey Park honoring the top performers of the competition. The jazz band and orchestra each scored over 90 points with the choir scoring around 70 points.