Bondy invited to perform at prestigious Midwest Music Conference

Bondy invited to perform at prestigious Midwest Music Conference
Posted on 04/24/2020
Bondy invited to perform at prestigious Midwest Music Conference

By Reesha Brown
PISD Communications

The Bondy Intermediate Chamber Orchestra has been invited to perform at the annual Midwest International Band and Orchestra Conference in Chicago this fall.

The Midwest Conference is the largest instrumental music education event in the world, attracting applications from ensembles across the U.S.

The invitation to perform is extended to some of the finest musical ensembles in the country, including Bondy Intermediate, as they were among only three middle schools chosen for their “high level of musicianship,” said Orchestra Director Elvia Jablinski.

“We strove for excellence and we succeeded,” Jablinski said.

During the four-day conference, students will have the opportunity to perform a concert with new music and enjoy performances from other outstanding ensembles.

Jablinski and assistant orchestra director Zachary Weber learned about the event from other orchestra directors across the region.

“We have been focused on working hard and music-making at Bondy,” Jablinski said. “At the beginning of 2020, we weren’t even thinking about applying—we were just making sure to prepare our best for our annual UIL competition in February.”

After earning perfect scores at UIL, competition judges and Pasadena ISD Fine Arts administrators reached out to Bondy’s orchestra and encouraged them to submit an application to perform at Midwest.

“We were very surprised, as the application deadline was only a couple of weeks away. Thanks to the encouragement of these mentors and with an enthusiastic reaction from our Chamber Orchestra students, we decided to take the plunge,” Jablinski said.

The application process involved submitting audio recordings of their UIL performance, video clips of the orchestra during rehearsal, along with letters of recommendation and a detailed description about the ensemble.

“After a suspenseful few weeks, Midwest notified us that we were invited to perform,” Jablinski said. “The ensemble’s achievement is proof that you can achieve anything with focus, determination and teamwork. We will be proud to represent the Bondy Patriots at Midwest.”

The school’s principal Roneka Lee shared this sentiment.

“Our Bondy students and directors are proving what hard work truly means,” Lee said. “Mrs. Jablinski, Mr. Weber and our Patriot students dedicate themselves to a level of excellence that has been recognized by Midwest. It is a prestigious honor to see their hard work be rewarded in such a manner. Being #BondyPROUD is not just a hashtag, it’s the spirit of being and we teach our students to exemplify this mindset. Our students are Bondy and they are what make us proud.”

Bondy Intermediate invited to Midwest Conference