FONTANA, CA – Summit High School’s instrumental and vocal music programs blew the judges away with their melodious sounds at the Heritage Festival hosted by WorldStrides on March 24, earning them multiple awards and placements.

Summit’s Madrigal Choir earned a silver medal in the chamber choir category, putting on a strong performance in their first year of participating in the festival. The Wind Ensemble and Advanced Orchestra groups won 3A division national titles, both earning the Adjudicator award for scoring above 95%. Additionally, the Advanced Orchestra took home the sweepstakes title in the orchestral division for the second year in a row, indicating they received the highest score of any competing orchestra.

“The students in our music program have been working so hard and they really knocked it out of the park,” Summit High School Director of Instrumental Music James Sharp said. “We want to keep improving and go on to win sweepstakes for the entire event next year.”

Lynette Silva, a senior cellist from Summit High School, was one of 12 musicians who received a Maestro award at the festival for her exceptional musicianship. Silva, who has played the cello for seven years, will major in music performance at Cal State Fullerton in the fall, where she will study under the renowned cellist Bongshin Ko. Silva dreams of joining the Los Angeles Philharmonic as a cellist in the near future.

“My favorite thing about the music program at Summit High School is how much chemistry we have in our group and the bonds and friendships I have made,” Silva said. “We all blend well together, which really makes our music sound so incredible.”

The Summit High School music program has been competing in events held by WorldStrides since 2019, when Sharp’s students were chosen as one of eight schools to play a special concert at Carnegie Hall. Since then, the yearly festivals have given students in the program something to look forward to and work toward. They plan to perform at the WorldStrides festival in New Orleans next year.

The music program at Summit High School is a full offering of vocal and instrumental performing arts including the Madrigal advanced choir, advanced women’s choir, concert beginner choir, marching band, jazz band, wind ensemble, concert band, preparatory orchestra, advanced orchestra, winter guard and winter drumline. The program first began in 2016 with roughly 40 students participating. Today, the program has grown to include more than 250 students.

“The music program is important because it teaches students a greater sense of responsibility toward others,” Sharp said. “Students learn to work in a team environment, grow in their individuality, and find a sense of community and belonging through music.”

PHOTO CAPTIONS:

FUSD_SUMMIT_MUSIC1: Summit High School’s instrumental and vocal music programs earned multiple awards and placements at the WorldStrides Heritage Festival in March, including division titles, adjudicator awards, sweepstakes titles and more. Members of the music program accepted their trophies at the awards ceremony in Disneyland.

FUSD_SUMMIT_MUSIC2: Summit’s Madrigal Choir earned a silver medal in the chamber choir category, putting on a strong performance in their first year of participating in the festival. The music program offers an array of vocal and instrumental performing arts courses, allowing students to explore their creativity and musicality.