The upcoming trip for 70 hard-working Ballard High musicians is a dream coming true.

The Ballard High Wind Ensemble will be appearing at the Sterrn Auditorium at Carnegie Hall on April 11th, 2017. Carnegie Hall is the World’s Most Famous Performance Venue and it is a thrill for the Ballard Wind Ensemble to have been selected to play on that stage. The group was accepted into the “New York International Music Festival” through a competitive audition process and is one of eight ensembles chosen to perform at this particular festival. They will be able to listen to and interact with students from all over the world throughout the festival. Other ensembles selected to perform include the Brisbane Regional Youth Orchestra from Australia, the Gwent Youth Wind Orchestra from Wales, the Los Angeles Children’s Orchestra and the Virginia Tech Wind Ensemble and Choirs.

Director Michael James says, “The Ballard Wind Ensemble is performing very challenging repertoire by prolific and highly esteemed composers (Overture to ‘Candide’ by Leonard Bernstein and ‘Give Us This Day’ by David Maslanka) at the Festival and the students have been working incredibly hard to prepare for this once in a lifetime performance.”

They depart on April 7th and return on the 12th. Their itinerary includes festival participation and performance, giving a concert in Central Park, taking in a Broadway show and visiting a variety of sights in the city.