MAHS students selected for district band

Three marvelous MAHS musicians were selected and participated in the recent 2026 PMEA District 6 Band Festival. Hosted by the Cambria Heights School District, the three-day festival featured musicians from 35 school districts, including our very own Bella Delawder, Brooke Sell and Rayne Stevanus!

These three talented young ladies qualified for District Band after performing in the County Band Festival held late last year. Brooke Sell plays the euphonium; Rayne Stevanus plays the tuba and Bella Delawder plays the French horn. In addition to qualifying for the honor of performing in the festival, Rayne was First Chair in her section and Bella was Second Chair in her section as well!

At the conclusion of the festival, Rayne and Bella learned they will be advancing to the Regional festival scheduled for March!

Dr. Jason Worzbyt served as the guest conductor for this prestigious event. He is the professor of bassoon and director of adult and community bands at Indiana University of Pennsylvania. Dr. Worzbyt has performed, recorded and appeared as a soloist with numerous ensembles nationwide.

At the conclusion of the festival, a public concert was held featuring all of the students participating in the Region Band Festival. The concert included performances of the following challenging selections: “Halcyon Hearts,” by Katahj Copley; “Lyric Suite,” by Gerald Finzi, arranged by John Moss; “Ellacombe Variations,” by Jack Stamp; “Irish Tune from Country Derry,” by Percy Grainger; “Shepherd’s Hey,” an English Morris Dance, by Grainger; “Lord Tullamore,” by Carl Wittock; and “Hands Across America,” by John Philip Sousa.

“I’m incredibly proud of the hard work these girls put in leading up to the festival last week. This was not an easy folder of music to learn, but they put in time and effort in order to show up at the festival prepared,” explained Katie Howard, director of bands. “It’s always an exciting opportunity to watch our MAHS band students perform with top musicians from our PMEA district. Hearing their stories about new friends or funny rehearsal moments and seeing the confidence and pride when they take the stage for the concert are incredibly rewarding moments as a director.”

Congratulations to all three of these young ladies for their excellent representation of MAHS!