Looking back on the 2007 Music Program

It’s been an interesting year for Albany High School’s music program. The choir department has had three teachers in the past three years, and now Chad Zullinger is finishing his first year as Albany High’s choral director and is already in the process of creating next year’s choirs. And the music department is going to see even more change in the coming year; this is the last year for Tom Lilienthal, our current band director. Next year, AHS will welcome new band director Craig Bryant into the AHS band program.

In spite of the many changes the music department has gone through in the past year, it was a highly successful year for many of Albany High’s myriad choral and instrumental groups.

Jazz Band started the season early and placed third in a group of more than thirty schools in the Redwood Jazz Festival in December 2006. Just a month later, on Saturday January 27th, Jazz Lab and Jazz Band both traveled to De La Salle High School in Concord to perform in the California Music Educators Association (CMEA) Jazz Festival. Jazz Lab earned a rating of Excellent and Jazz Band earned a Unanimous Superior, the highest possible rating at the festival. Many smaller groups and solo performers from various AHS bands earned the Superior rating at the CMEA Combo Festival, Band CMEA Solo and Ensemble Festival and Orchestra CMEA Solo and Ensemble Festival. Jazz Band earned yet another Unanimous Superior at the Santa Cruz Jazz Festival, as did the AHS Combo (a group of five students). The AHS string orchestra received a Unanimous Superior rating at the CMEA String Orchestra Festival on April 28th, and Symphonic and Concert band both received a rating of Excellent at the CMEA concert Festival on May 5th.

Mr. Zullinger’s choirs had an eventful spring. Advanced Chorale competed in the Heritage Festival of Gold Invitational Festival in Chicago (the competition was by invitation only). Soon afterward, concert choir traveled to Anaheim to compete in the Forum Festival where they earned a Silver Rating. They ranked first in the competition and were the only group to receive a Silver Rating. In Zullinger’s own words “Wrapping up my first year has been exciting and rewarding. I have managed to form great relationships with my students and am ready to begin my second year of choirs at AHS!”

5 Responses

1. 8:39 PM on June 8th, 2007Anonymous:

   good riddance!

2. 6:48 PM on July 22nd, 2007sophie:

   i love band ppl…

3. 11:56 AM on August 23rd, 2007Pete Wentz:

   Band People are SEXII

4. 4:57 PM on September 7th, 2007AHS student:

   Zulinger is the good intro to rock teacher we could rock all we want.

5. 5:12 PM on October 1st, 2007Anonymous:

   he’s the good rock teacher?
   he doesn’t even show up to class
   well i guess that’s good

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