With all eyes on center stage, both the Diamond Bar High School Wind Ensemble and Choir Department excelled under the spotlight on their recent trips. Wind Ensemble took home first prize over the spring break, while Solitaire placed fifth and Marquis finished sixth last week in competitions.

On April 6, the DBHS Wind Ensemble placed first at the President’s Cup National Concert Band Invitational. The competition was held at the Hylton Performing Arts Center at George Mason University in Manassas, Virginia.

“I think as a whole, we worked really well as a team,” senior Rachel Kim said. “Once we stepped on the stage, I could feel the energy from everyone just really vibrating and as soon as we played the first note of our first piece, it really resonated throughout the hall.”

At the competition, Wind Ensemble performed “Shine” by Julie Giroux, “Bells for Stokowski” by Michael Daugherty and “Solid Men to the Front” by John Philip Sousa.

The Wind Ensemble students prepared for the competition through daily rehearsals. The students also performed in two festivals throughout the course of the year, held at UCLA and CSU Fullerton. DBHS band director Steven Acciani said  that the students participated at the festivals in preparation for the Invitational.

“We approach all of our rehearsals the same,” Acciani said. “The idea is to try to do the best we can to match the intent of the composer.”

Meanwhile, on April 14, the DBHS choir department competed in the John Burroughs Music Showcase at Burroughs High School in Burbank.

“For our last competition, it was a really fun experience for everyone,” senior Megan Mach said. “It was a good experience for us to watch a lot of other choirs and to close out the season on a good note.”

Solitaire performed their “New York” set, which included songs such as Taylor Swift’s “Welcome to New York” and Frank Sinatra’s “New York, New York.” Meanwhile, Marquis showcased their “Hercules” set, as they sang songs that were related to the movie’s theme, such as “Go The Distance” from the movie itself and “There’s Nothing Holding Me Back” by Shawn Mendes.

Earlier in the season, on March 24, Solitaire and Marquis both finished second at the Katella King of Champions competition.

“They have come a long way,” DBHS choir director Vince O’Connell said. “I’ve only been able to look at them for a month, but the strides they have made in that month are phenomenal.”