On the first weekend of January, sixteen Feehan students participated in the Southeastern Senior Districts Music Festival. Choral students include Idalia Beerman-Rodriguez ‘24, Mirolla Boules ‘24, Allie Burns ‘24, Isabella CaraDonna ‘25, Sophia Castro ‘25, Neve Constantine ‘26, Kate DeVincent ‘24, Grace Kent ‘26, Maddie Kent ‘24, Laney O’Donnell ‘25, Faith O’Hanlon ‘24, Emma Roveda ‘25, Arianna Simoneau ‘24, and Molly Sullivan ‘24. The choral students were split into two separate choruses, the Treble Chorus and the Mixed Chorus. Treble Chorus only includes upper voices, Sopranos, and Altos, while Mixed Chorus includes all voices, Sopranos, Altos, Tenors, and Bases. Isabella CD, Grace K, Maddie K, Faith O, and Arianna S were placed in Treble Chorus while Idalia B-R, Mirolla B, Allie B, Sophia C, Neve C, Kate D, Laney O, Emma R, and Molly S were placed into Mixed Chorus.
The band students who auditioned back in November were placed into one of three groups. Orchestra, Jazz Band, or Concert Band. Bishop Feehan had two band students accepted into the Southeastern Massachusetts Senior Districts Music Festival. Andrew DeGuzman ‘24 and Ben Davis ‘27 were both placed into the Concert Band.
The students participating in the festival performed at Canton High School. On Friday, January 5th, the students arrived at Canton High School at 8:30 AM and were separated into their respective groups. The choral students sang and the band students played from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM with only a couple breaks for snacks and lunch. On Saturday, January 6th, the students arrived in their concert black and prepared for their concerts. The Jazz Band, Treble Chorus, and Mixed Chorus performed first at 1:30 PM and then the Orchestra and Concert Band performed second at 3:00 PM.
Speaking with students who performed at the festival, there were a lot of positive experiences. Arianna Simoneau said that the festival,
for [her], was life-changing. It catapulted [her] love for music and inspired [her] to pursue a music career.
— Arianna Simoneau ‘24
great, definitely intense, but overall great! It taught me a lesson in patience. I trusted the rehearsal process and then the concert was amazing!
— Maddie Kent ‘24
As a junior, it was Isabella CaraDonna’s first introduction to the Districts Festival, and she described her experience positively, saying she loved being around
such talented musicians! It was demanding at times, but the outcome and tremendous support were inspiring.
— Isabella CaraDonna ‘25
Moving to Mixed Chorus, Mirolla Boules, who sang as a Tenor, says the festival was a
good social and learning experience, one [she] will never forget. It was such a joy to be around people who shared the same interests as [her]. [Her] favorite parts were meeting new people, reconnecting with friends from last year, and bursting into random songs.
— Mirolla Boules ‘24
With the Concert Band, only two Feehan students were participatinge band. Andrew DeGuzman, who played the Trombone, and Ben Davis, who played the Clarinet. Andrew describes his experience as
an excellent opportunity to connect with students from different music programs.
— Andrew DeGuzman ‘24
The Bishop Feehan students who participated in this weekend filled with music, friends, and learning experiences agree that the Southeastern Massachusetts Senior Districts Music Festival had a positive impact on their lives as musicians.