Congratulations to the following 10 members of the Fort Mill High School band program that are part of the Charlotte Youth Wind Ensemble.

Brandon Armstrong - Clarinet	Logan Herbert - Clarinet	Megan Sibley - Bass Clarinet
Russell Hawes - Bassoon	Matthew Krieger - Alto Saxophone	Alex Fisher - Trumpet
Annie Pendleton - Horn	Nick Fife - Horn	Wesley Johnson - Euphonium
Thomas Longfield - Tuba

Now in its seventeenth season, the Charlotte Youth Wind Ensemble, sponsored by the University of North Carolina at Charlotte Department of Music, is composed of seventy of the finest young musicians from the greater Charlotte metropolitan region - 10 from Fort Mill High School which is more than any other single school. The Wind Ensemble features students from thirty different high schools in both North and South Carolina.

The Ensemble organizes in January and, following two months of Tuesday evening rehearsals (2 1/2 to 3 hours not including the drive to UNCC in north Charlotte), presents three concerts in different parts of the region. Most members of this ensemble have earned membership in the All-District and All-State high school honor bands of North and South Carolina, groups which typically function for two or three days each year and then disband.

As a regional honors organization, the purpose of the Charlotte Youth Wind Ensemble is to provide young musicians with performance opportunities which supplement their excellent school band programs. A college preparatory level of music is rehearsed in the wind ensemble format; a smaller, more select instrumentation than is typically found in larger All-State symphonic bands. The Ensemble also regularly performs new repertoire, not previously presented in the region, as part of its programs.

After their first performance this past Friday night at the Anne R. Belk Theatre at UNCC, the Ensemble has two more scheduled free performances:

• Monday - March 5, 2007 at 7:30 pm - Jay M. Robinson High School in Concord, NC
• Tuesday - March 13, 2007 at 7:30 pm - Charlotte Latin School in south Charlotte, NC

Please congratulate each of these band students on their achievement and, to see a great performance of the area's talented young musicians, come out and show them your support at one of their two remaining concerts.

Further information is available on the University website: www.uncc.edu/music or by calling the UNCC Band Office at 704-687-4470.