Congratulations to the following 10 members of the Fort Mill School District Band Programs that earned a spot in the 2008 Charlotte Youth Wind Ensemble.

Fort Mill HS	Nation Ford HS
Brandon Armstrong - Clarinet	Jessica Coons - Contrabass Clarinet
Kate Davis - Bassoon	Anna Covington - Bass Clarinet
Joshua Harris - Bassoon	Dottie Grantham - Flute
Logan Herbert - Clarinet	Claire Sibley - Horn
Matthew Krieger - Alto Sax	Megan Sibley - Bass Clarinet

Now in its eighteenth 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 the Fort Mill High School and Nation Ford High 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.

This year's performance schedule is:

• Friday - February 29, 2008 at 7:30 pm - UNC Charlotte Robinson Hall in Charlotte, NC
• Tuesday - March 4, 2008 at 7:30 pm - Nation Ford High School in Fort Mill, SC
• Wednesday - March 5, 2008 at 7:30 pm - Hickory Ridge High School in Harrisburg, 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 your support at one of their concerts.

For more information (including the entire 2008 roster), please visit UNCC Department of Music website at http://www.music.uncc.edu/cywe.htm.