Led by Music Director Michael Ogdon, the FC music department prepares to participate in the Heritage Festival, which is the biggest event of the year for choir. This year the group is traveling to San Diego to perform in the event, March 14-16.
The whole music department will be involved in the Heritage Festival, including the fifth and seventh period Celebration Choir, the jazz band, Adoration Ensemble, percussion and concert band.
FC has participated in various Heritage Festivals over the past 10 years. Locations for the event have included Colorado Springs, Seattle, San Francisco, San Diego and Anaheim.
There will be 89 FC students attending the festival, 44 girls and 45 boys, seventh through twelfth grade. Twelve total adults will be chaperoning the group, which includes three couples and six individuals.
Due to his previous experiences at the Heritage Festival, Ogdon looks forward to traveling down to San Diego to participate in the judging and to form stronger relationships with the choir.
“There’s a certain thrill to competing against both a national judging standard and against the other groups that are there that particular weekend,” Ogdon said. “My hope is that we get to know each other better through the quality time spent together. Festivals are a way for music groups to check their ability and progress. It’s a little like a musical PSAT test, I guess.”
For first year choir member Grant Flammang, ’14, going to the festival is a brand new experience. He is excited about the trip as a whole but especially looks forward to going to Seaworld in San Diego.
“This is my first year in choir,” Flammang said. “I joined to sing and gain new experiences. I am so glad that we are going to Seaworld which is included in our three-day trip. The entire trip should be a great time.”
Being a part of choir for three years now, junior Adam Loughney remains confident about the performances to come. Loughney looks forward to attending Heritage again, knowing he will enjoy his time with friends.
“Well, I joined choir my freshman year because I thought it was very interesting to sing in a school choir,” Loughney said. “I am always excited about the Heritage trip because that is where we have all the fun and just in general, I love the bus rides.”
Heritage Festival Schedule
Thursday, March 14, 2013
The group leaves the campus at 5 a.m on Thursday. Then after three hours of driving, the group will stop for breakfast and depart for an Irvine tour, classes and music exchange at Vanguard University. Once they are done with the tour, they will leave to do a service project at the El Toro Mobile Estates Concert. After the project they will depart for their hotel and check in to Qualiity Suites (2701 Hotel Terrace Drive Santa Ana, Ca 92705) Hotel at 8:30 p.m. After a group activity at 9:30 p.m., the groups will participate in room devotions. Lights out will be at 11 p.m.
Friday, March 15, 2013
The group will eat breakfast in the hotel at 8 a.m. and dress to perform. By 11 a.m., the group will check in at Marriot Mission Valley. After the check-in, the members will eat lunch at noon and travel to the Heritage Festival destination at Cuyamaca College. Following the percussion group performance at 2 p.m, jazz band will play at 3 p.m., concert band at 4 p.m., celebration choir at 6 p.m. and adoration ensemble at the end of the day. After the festival performances the group will go to a food court at Fashion Valley Mall with group activities at 9 p.m. Room devotions will be at 10:30 p.m. the; lights out will be at 11:30 p.m.
Saturday, March 16, 2013
The group will pack and leave their hotel at 7:30 a.m.; they will eat breakfast at Hometown Buffet at 9 a.m. Before eating lunch at Seaport Village, the group will tour the USS Midway Museum. Finally, at 1:30 p.m., after lunch, they will spend time at Seaworld Park in San Diego.
The musical groups will arrive back to campus at around 2:30 a.m., March 17.
For more information, contact Ogdon at 559.287.4226 or by email.
For more news, read the March 12 article, NSPA names Feather a 2013 Online Pacemaker Finalist.
Lina Washington • Feb 8, 2013 at 12:03 am
I was 11-years-old, just started my 6th grade year. I was asleep on my mom’s bed facing the TV when she woke me up to the scene of smoke billowing out of the North Tower of the World Trade Center.
I didn’t know what the World Trade Center was and I knew only one person in the entire state of New York (who lived in Queens) so I wasn’t quite sure how to react. What I did understand was that our nation was under attack and that this was something that was going to be in the history books.
I didn’t know what was going to happen next, if this terror was over, if it would hit home in Arizona, who was responsible or if we would go to war. I remember noticing the silence in the barren sky as I walked home from school.
The next day our school held a memorial assembly and the magnitude of what September 11, 2001, was finally hit me. The thousands of lives that were lost, the targets that had been missed because of brave passengers, the number of families who were mourning or desperately searching for their loved ones, seeing all the pictures of those who were in the Towers posted around the city on TV I had never seen such pain.
It’s hard to believe it’s been 11 years and I pray for all those who have to find a way to get through this day every year.
Phoenix, AZ