By Chris Moffitt

This month, TPA’s musical all-star team spent a weekend making incredible music with the top musicians from schools around the region. Competing against big schools such as McClintock and Dobson, TPA had six students successfully make it into the Arizona Southwest Regional Music Festival.

Juniors Nasrynn Chowdhury, Tiffanie Cappello Lee, Chris Moffitt, and Nathan Stough successfully made it into the choir, while Junior Connor Will and Sophomore Josephine Fischer made it into the Regional Orchestra. The festival consists of a day-and-a-half of working with a respected clinician as the participants learn and rehearse a variety of different pieces and it culminates in a fantastic concert for the public.

The experience was remarkable for everyone involved. For Connor Will, he says that “it was a very validating experience to be able to perform such exquisite music with such exquisite people.” The privilege to perform alongside such talented people would certainly make anyone feel that way.

Tiffanie Cappello Lee appreciated “working with such a talented clinician. He managed to make hard work enjoyable which is not something many are capable of doing.”

For Josephine, she simply loved “the cool people you meet along the way!” Regionals definitely provides an experience where one can make many incredible friendships.

But not only was Regionals simply a wonderful experience, but those involved took so much away from it and learned and grew in a variety of different ways. Josephine says, “The conductor taught me to dig deep to bring out the music from inside me and let it shine. I think this is a big part of being a musician – to feel the music and play from within makes it so much more than just notes on a page!”

The music that was made was truly magnificent. Conductors, participants, and audience members alike were brought to tears by the transcendent music. It will take quite a lot for such an experience to be forgotten.