Golden Horseshoe Music Festival

By Danyi (Dan) Hu ’25, Staff Writer; Edited by Kat Willson ’26, Editor-in-Chief

This past month, our symphonic orchestra participated in the Golden Horseshoe Music Festival in Hamilton at Mohawk College. Beginning in 2006, the Golden Horseshoe Festival is an annual event that features bands and orchestras from all over Ontario. This festival aims to provide an educational experience to the students who participate. This year, the band performed two fast-paced songs and one slow song: an excerpt from Samson and Delilah- Bacchanale by Saint-Saëns, Funeral March of a Marionette by Charles Gounod, and Adoration by Florence Price. The band had been preparing these pieces since the beginning of the second semester, right after the conclusion of the winter festival.

After an early morning, the band took a Coach bus to Mohawk College, where the festival was held this year. We played in front of two judges, one of whom became the judicator for our performance, giving us a masterclass after the performance. Three ranks are given to each band: bronze, silver and gold. The symphonic orchestra was awarded a silver plaque and an invitation to the nationals for our efforts.