By Devan Mighton, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Lakeshore News Reporter
St. Anne Catholic High School students Michael Bourdeau (Gr. 12 – piano), Luiz Correa (Gr. 11 – trumpet), Julien Lewis (Gr. 12 – upright bass), Andrew Matchett (Gr. 12 – drums), Matthew Verzosa (Gr. 11 – tenor saxophone), and Aiden Williams (Gr. 12 – trumpet) have been honoured with the gold medal at the 2025 MusicFest Nationals.
Running from May 12-17 in Toronto, “The Nationals” or MusicFest Canada celebrated its 53rd year this year. For the students from St. Anne, the event marked the culmination of months of hard work and preparation.
“These students formed the jazz combo on their own, back in the fall of 2024,” explains Grant Bergeron, St. Anne’s art department head. “They were committed early-on to preparing for MusicFest Windsor at the Capitol Theatre in March. They selected their repertoire, and rehearsed as a group over and above their involvement in the St. Anne High School Concert Band and Jazz Band. They were awarded a Silver+ rating at MusicFest Windsor, as well as an invitation to perform at The Nationals of MusicFest Canada in May. They then continued to work on their pieces and used the adjudication received in March to assist with improving to the next level.”
According to Aiden, the group’s trumpet player, everyone in the band’s music journeys were formed in the later years of grade school, when music class became a requirement.
“For myself and the others in the band, that was where our passion for music, and my affinity for the trumpet was born,” explains Aiden. “However, when the pandemic hit, music wasn’t very prominent for me, and kind of became an afterthought. When the world returned back to normal, I decided to take a music class taught by our music teacher and band director, Mr. Bergeron. He has done an incredible job as our teacher and director and has not only been an outstanding supporter of the combo, but an inspiration and mentor to us musicians as well.”
Aiden says the group prepared for The Nationals with an “incredible” amount of practice. “For the first few months, we often rehearsed two or three times a week, around 30 to 45 minutes each day. As Nationals drew closer, we began devoting more time and energy to perfecting our craft. We started rehearsing every weekday we could, with our rehearsal times spanning from 30 minutes to several hours. While it was a lot of time, energy, and dedication, our hard work has certainly paid off.”
The group enjoy their trip to Toronto, with Aiden describing it as “nothing short of surreal”, as they took in Ontario’s capital city and immersed themselves in the culture – especially its rich musical tapestry.
“The whole trip was an outstanding time, but our most memorable moment took place while we were waiting to perform,” says Aiden. “The excitement and anticipation within the band was at an all-time high, as all our practice was finally about to be rewarded.”
“For all of us, the win at MusicFest Nationals was exhilarating. Every musician in the combo had done so much to make Nationals a possibility, and to see the pure elation within the band was nothing short of incredible. From the group’s beginnings in October, to receiving the highest honour on the biggest stage seven months later, it was a storybook moment for the Jazz Combo.”
Julien, their upright bassist, is set to attend Humber College to pursue a Bachelor of Music degree, and the rest of the combo still have music in their hearts and, if offered, would certainly consider an opportunity to pursue music in the future.
“In 30 years of teaching high school music, it has been rare to see a group of students with such collaborative initiative to accomplish their musical goals,” states Mr. Bergeron. “It is extremely rewarding, as a music educator, to witness the motivation and passion toward a common goal of reaching a high musical standard. I am very proud of them, as well as the entire music program at St. Anne High School.”
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