From April 12 to 16, Lexington High School’s Wind Ensemble traveled to Washington D.C. to participate in the Washington D.C. International Music Festival at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. They were one of four ensembles selected nationally to take part in the event.

The trip included several performances, including a world premiere with another high school ensemble. Additionally, they attended a feedback clinic featuring renowned composer Mark Camphouse.

When planning their performance repertoire, Jared Cassedy, the conductor of LHS’s Wind Ensemble, focused on choosing pieces that showcased high musical quality and social significance.

“The three pieces we performed were pieces that represented not only our high capacity as musicians, but our social goals around supporting music written by underrepresented composers and focusing directly on social justice themes,” Cassedy said.

Exploring such themes and connecting their performance pieces with real-world scenarios required deep conversations as a group.

“We had a lot of composer initiatives where we had composers talk to us about their intent, and how certain aspects of their pieces were meant to represent certain ideas in real life.  Having that sort of composer intent in the back of our minds while playing the piece allowed us to sort of prepare ourselves for this performance, and really capture what the composer was trying to say,” Darren Huang, a senior and co-president of Wind Ensemble, said.

Compared to previous trips, this year’s Wind Ensemble trip to Washington D.C. provided a heightened sense of importance.

“What was exciting about Washington D.C. is that students were able to perform music and have a voice through our music at our nation’s capital. It made our purpose that much more fulfilling,” Cassedy said.

The trip also provided members of the ensemble with more opportunities to bond, such as rooming together, cruises, and late-night tours.

“We came back to Lexington closer to each other, and we also grew closer with our conductor, Mr. Cassedy,” Christabel Chiu, a junior and member of Wind Ensemble, said.

The trip also proved to be nostalgic for seniors such as Huang, as it was their last time being able to travel and perform formally with Wind Ensemble.

“The past four years that I’ve been in Wind Ensemble and the experiences that I’ve shared with all the people in the band kind of just all came flooding back to me…it was like this moment where we all kind of realized that it wouldn’t last forever. And eventually, all of us would go our own separate ways,” Huang said.

Members of Wind Ensemble agreed that the trip was a defining moment for this year’s band.

“Something about the trip just makes our community so special. It was a perfect trip,” Huang said.