A group of singers from Desert Sunrise High School returned from California with a top honor after earning a Gold Award at a national performing arts competition.
The school’s Treble Singers choir, an audition-based after-school ensemble directed by Micah Braden, received the award at the WorldStrides Heritage Festival in Anaheim earlier this month. The ensemble competed in the 2A division, which groups schools by size.
The Gold Award represents a superior score from festival adjudicators.
“This award encompassed an entire year of hard work and many hours after school rehearsals,” Braden said.
The Treble Singers, which students often refer to as chamber choir, performed alongside school ensembles from across the country during the multi-day festival. The event evaluates ensembles on musical performance, tone, balance and overall presentation.
Braden said the honor marks a milestone for the school’s music program.
“This is an elite competition and winning this award is the first of its kind for not only our school, but I believe the entire district,” he said.
The choir traveled to Anaheim to participate in the festival and celebrate the achievement together. For many of the singers, the trip capped years of participation in the program.
Braden said he hopes the recognition highlights the dedication of the students behind the performance.
“With so much negativity that surrounds education these days, I would love a chance for the kids that put so much hard work into this program over the last four years to be put on display and shown to the city how amazing they truly are and how amazing this award they earned truly is,” he said.