On April 17th, 2024, the Davie High School Wind Ensemble traveled to our nation’s capital, Washington, DC, to participate in a national competition run by the Pershing’s Own Army Band: The President’s Cup. The Wind Ensemble was one of five bands across the country that were invited to perform. This is a huge honor as the members of the Wind Ensemble—including their director, Matthew Brusseau—have worked hard over many years to establish themselves as one of the top bands in the nation.
Each year, the Pershing’s Own Army Band hosts a national competition for wind bands across America called “The President’s Cup.” The Army Band invites only ensembles of the highest caliber to compete. Each band is required to prepare three pieces of music to perform in front of a panel that is composed of members of the Army Band; one of the pieces is chosen by this group. This year, the piece chosen for each band to play was “Red Tails” by Ayatey Shabazz. Those invited to perform include wind bands from Yreka High School, Gainesville High School, Freedom High School, Mira Mesa High School, and Davie County High School.
The Wind Ensemble always strives for excellence. Throughout the year, they have several performances where they play difficult pieces that include intricate and elaborate musical passages. As the band prepared for their President’s Cup performance, they participated in this year’s MPA (Musical Performance Association) and were awarded straight superiors. The band then began to work diligently to prepare for their competition. The Wind Ensemble prepared three works for the competition: “Our Director” by FE Bigelow, “Aurora Awakes” by John Mackey, and “Red Tails”. When asked what his favorite piece to play was, sophomore Tyler Oldham said, “I really enjoyed ‘Aurora Awakes’. It was a challenge, but it was a lot of fun to play.”
Once they arrived in DC, they felt ready to put on the best performance they could. The competition was held in the performing arts center at George Mason University. The day before the performance was filled with rehearsals and masterclasses where the students worked with Army Band professionals. Additionally, former members of the Pershing’s Own Army Band put on various performances to entertain and inspire the competing students. Next was the big day. On the day of the performances, each band got their shot to wow the judges and put on their best show. The Davie High Wind Ensemble did just that. The former director of the Navy Band, Colonel Denny Layendecker, described Davie’s performance as one of the best high school band performances he had ever heard. When the awards were announced later that night, everyone was shocked to hear that Davie did not receive the award. Mira Mesa High School ended up coming out with the victory.
Despite falling short of the cup, the members of the Wind Ensemble still had a great time touring Washington, DC. Trumpet player Paul Lynch said, “The whole trip was a great experience. I had never been to Washington DC before, and I really enjoyed the time we had there.” The band visited various monuments and memorials, such as the Lincoln Memorial and the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial. They also toured the Capitol Building, Arlington Cemetery, and the Holocaust Museum. Overall, the band did their best and had a great time doing it.