Austin O'Brien - Music

The Austin O'Brien Music Program features a wide variety of curricular and extra-curricular music and performance opportunities including our Senior and Junior Jazz Bands, Jazz/Funk Combos, Rock Bands, Senior and Junior Concert Bands, Wind Ensembles, Percussion and Guitar Ensembles, Choirs, Ethnic Ensembles, the AOB Blues/Ska Band, and our Theatre Pit Bands. These performance groups allow our students the outlet to experience, through study and exploration of their more artistic and creative side, a great spectrum of music from around the world and from many different periods. The music program incorporates a flexible scheduling pattern in order to allow students the opportunity to tailor their timetable to meet their own particular needs.

Highlights 2010-2011 (click on the pictures to enlarge)
The 2010-2011 School Year was one of our busiest ever! Our music students were kickin' all year long. Our killer recording session early-on set the tone for things to come. The JazzWorks Festival featured some high-energy action and Band Share Day was all about the MAMBO! and singing HALLELUJAH with Sister Marissa (click here for Video)!
Celebration of the Arts this year featured Mr. K. conducting a Ska piece with the ECS All-Star Jazz Band (click here for Ska Video), as well as our very own students in "From Love to Forfeit" rockin' the Jubilee! The AOB AXEtreme Fest Battle of the Bands once again packed the AOB gym, with 10 bands battling for top spot, and underdogs "Heavy and the Automatic" taking the title.
Our pit band for this year's theatre production of "Zombie Prom" was honoured with a nomination for "Outstanding Orchestra" at the 2011 Cappies Awards. And once again, for the last 6 years running, an original Grad Song was created for the AOB Graduation Class, by our music graduates Ashley M., Marissa K., Brett H., Garrett F., & Leon T. (click here for Video), capping off a fantastic school year. Congratulations to all of the AOB Music Students; You Rock! Have a Wonderful Summer!!!
CD Release from the AOB Fine Arts Department - 2011:

AOB - PLAY ART LOUD

Austin O'Brien High School is proud to announce the release of its new CD entitled, "AOB - PLAY ART LOUD". This project features the eclectic music of the Austin O'Brien Band Program; everything from Latin, Funk, and Jazz standards to Blues, Ska, and modern Rock is tackled by our students. We've also included a Multimedia section featuring the fantastic work of our Visual Art and Drama/Improv Theatre Departments, and added footage from some of our favourite recent live performances showcasing the crazy energetic antics of our ensembles.

This recording also brings together a special collection of student-composed/arranged Grade 12 Graduation Songs. It started back in 2006 when the Grade 12 class and Mr. K. decided that they didn't want to hear another Sarah McLachlan or Green Day song for Grad anymore! They were going to do this one on their own; and so the tradition began. It's been an original Grad Song ever since.

The project has been invaluable to our students. They have had the opportunity to experience the production of a CD, from the planning and preparation, to the high-stress recording/live-performance atmosphere, to the design and concept, and finally the sales and promotion. It has been a great learning experience and motivator for all of the young artists involved, and a fantastic opportunity to capture this moment in time, for memories that will last a lifetime.

For Audio Samples and more info CLICK HERE
For more Video Samples check these out: "Brothers & Sisters, Testify! - YES SIR!" - "Art Showcase" - "Ska & Beachballs" - "Theatre Improv Team" - "Muppet Cannon"
2009-2010  

Goin' Back to Cali, Cali, Cali, We're Goin' Back to Cali, Oh Yah, I think so! The 2009-2010 school year saw the Austin O'Brien Concert Ensemble and Senior Jazz Band once again head out to sunny southern California to compete in the Anaheim National Heritage Music Festival. Both groups finished in 2nd place in their divisions, representing Edmonton Catholic Schools and Canada proudly in a sea of great American Bands! And Congrats to our drummer, Ashley M., for being named one of the co-winners of the Outstanding Performers Award for the Festival. In addition to the competition, the students also participated in a recording session at Disney Studios, a featured performance in Disneyland Park, and numerous tourist and workshop activities in the area. Special Thank You's to our chaperones extraordinaire; Mr. MacDonald, Mrs. Cuglietta, Mrs. Waschuk, and Mrs. Taina Lorenz-Turner (our guest conductor of the Concert Ensemble while on tour) for all of their amazing work! Cheers to everyone for a Fantastic Trip!!! (click on the pics for more)
CD Release:
  

"From Love To Forfeit" CD release - Who You Really Are

2009-2010 also saw Grade 11 Rock Band "From Love To Forfeit" release their debut CD, "Who You Really Are"! This recording showcases the original work of these amazing young musicians and their deeply rooted passion to make a difference and positively impact their generation and the world around them. For more information, check out the band online at: www.myspace.com/fromlovetoforfeit . CDs are available on iTunes at: FLTF iTunes

And a New CD Release from Mr. K. came out this school year, and was nominated for both; "World Solo Artist of the Year" at the 2009 Canadian Folk Music Awards and "Jazz Album of the Year" at this year's 9th Annual Independent Music Awards. This CD, intitled, "Generations - Greek Oud Jazz", is a combination of Modern Jazz and Traditional Greek Music from and inspired by the Island of Crete, and features a number of Mr. K.'s former and current AOB Band students in the making of this recording, from performance to layout and design. Check out: Shaw TV AOB Interview for a video feature filmed at Austin O'Brien on the project.
We had quite the crazy cast of characters this year. You never knew what was in store for each show. From a Pep Rally Marching Band with a surprise Evan-esk ending, to a Trumpet-Sax Gospel Duel with our guest southern Preacher. From two-headed Flutes and an over-sized explosion of confetti at our Open House, to a slightly less bombastic ending on stage at the Winspear. From Grad to Feeder Schools to the Battle of the Bands to the Rockin' Masses to our own Featured Shows, the student's crazy, quirky personalities always shone through and that's what made this year such a great one! Congratulations to all of the AOB music students on their Amazing Work!!!
2008-2009

Wacky Wild Wrestling Woodwind's Wrath Winds-up Wholesome Winspear! Who Won...?
Crazy Cartoon Carnival Cavalcades Catapult Catchy Creative Convocation Complex Christmas Concert
Bruising Booming Band Battle Breaks Boredom & Boasts Beautiful Blasting Bedlum
Dynamic Dynamite Dancers Did Double Duty Dancing Devinely
Graduation Gowns Got Groomed Guys & Gals Gazing with Glimmer & Gloss Glamourously to the Gifted Guitarists & Grand Girl - Remember Yesterday!
 
 
2007-2008
Space (Mountain)… the Final Frontier (land). These are the voyages of the Austin O'Brien Music Program. Its endless mission; to explore strange new sounds, to seek out new creative musical experiences, to boldly go where no Canadian teenager has gone before… DisneyWorld! The 2007-2008 school year saw the Austin O'Brien High School Concert Ensemble and Senior Jazz Band take flight on their trip to "Sunny" Florida during Spring Break. In addition to a recording session / workshop at Disney Studios and a featured performance in Disneyworld's Magic Kingdom Park, both groups competed in the Orlando National Heritage Music Festival. The Senior Jazz Band received a level of Excellence (Silver Medal) and the AOB Concert Ensemble received the Superior (Gold Medal) standing. The Concert Ensemble has now been invited to compete against the highest level Band Programs from across North America at the prestigious International Festival of Gold Series Heritage Music Competitions. A huge honour and achievement for our students and for the music program of Edmonton Catholic Schools! And Special Congratulations go to AOB flutist Jessica R., who won the individual award for Outstanding Instrumentalist at the Festival! Great work AOB Band students!!! You represented Austin O'Brien and all of Canada proudly! Special Thank You's go out to Mrs. Lemiski and the wonderful AOB Cheer Team, with whom we shared this fantastic Florida experience, to our amazing chaperones Mrs. G.A. Patterson and Mr. Koshka, and to all of the Band Parents for their continued unwavering support!!! (click here for Examiner article)
*CD Release*:

The Austin O'Brien Music Department Presents:

NOW and THEN - The AOB Rock Album

07-08 also saw the release of the Austin O'Brien High School Music Program's latest CD project, "NOW and THEN - The AOB Rock Album". This CD represents a sampling of some of the amazing work and talents of our students over the last 10 years in the field of popular music. Styles represented on this recording range from the dark electronic industrial sound to the melodic and lyrical to the light-hearted and whimsically playful. Fantastic song-writing and a polished performance got the well deserved accolades from fellow students, the community, and critics alike. Their focus, energy, and total fearlessness have been an inspiration to all of us here at Austin O'Brien High School. Enjoy!

Available Online at:

This new release features some of the Best Rock Bands and Rock Artists from the Austin O'Brien student body over the last 10 years, including:

For more information or to hear a sample, Click Here.

Sandra Sperounes Journal Article - Click Here.

Joelle Tomek Examiner Article - Click Here.

Links to each of the artists:

www.myspace.com/daedal
www.sallyskrackers.com
www.myspace.com/geedoband
www.myspace.com/jessecrowley
www.whitesummertheband.com
www.myspace.com/banddamascus
www.myspace.com/themcgowanfamilyband
www.purevolume.com/asperformedbyus
www.myspace.com/thepeopleversusmusic

 
In addition to the school release, a number of the Bands featured on the recording also produced their own CD releases this year including, "White Summer" (II II) and "Sally's Krackers" (self titled). And the year was topped off with a number of special appearances by our senior performance ensembles and senior students at JazzWorks 2008, our Junior High concert tour, Edmonton Catholic Schools Band Share Day and Celebration of the Arts at the Winspear Centre, the AOB Open House, as a special guest with the Cosmopolitan Adult Community Band, at this year's Catholic Youth Conference, in the "Pit" for the Drama Year Play, as a part of the ECS Senior All-City Band and All-Star Jazz Band, the AOB Battle of the Bands, and at our own AOB feature concerts. Thank you to all the students, parents, staff, and admin team for a fantastic fun-filled year!
2006-2007  
2005-2006
The 2005-2006 school year started as the year of the guitars! Guitar classes were packed. AOB was being invaded by the string slingers. But we did manage to squeeze a little bit of Band and Choir into the semester with a performance at this year's Festival of Trees and our annual Christmas Concert at Convocation Hall, University of Alberta.
The Guitars then took over once again at this year's Battle of the Bands competition! (note to self: don't forget to bring ear plugs to next year's battle...)
And then in May we were off on our Band Tour to sunny southern California. This trip saw our Concert Ensemble, Jazz "A" Band, and Jazz "B" Band competing in the Anaheim Heritage Music Festival. All three groups received "Excellence" standing with both the Concert Band and Jazz"A" finishing in first place in their category and the Jazz "B" Band finishing second. The students represented Austin O'Brien, Edmonton Catholic Schools, and Canada proudly receiving high praise at all of the performances and workshop sessions they participated in. We ended the year with a full Austin O'Brien Evening of the Arts featuring the Drama, Music, Culinary Arts, and the Visual Arts departments. The evening happened to coincide with one of the Oilers playoff games, but the house was still packed! Thank You parents and friends for your unwavering support, and to the students: Great Work and Congratulations on a Fantastic Year!
2003-2004  
The 2003-2004 School Year - Hey Daddy-o!!! Welcome to the show. Just lettin' ya know, the year was cool; before, during, and afterschool. Don't be a fool, pull up a stool, and we'll let ya in on the gruel. We all began, wearin' our summer tan, Cran and Grape. But our chops were outta shape. But we blew in hard, from the ol' Church yard. Playin' our hymn; elevation, at the first Celebration, of togetherness and love, prayer up-above. Continued on, in the feeder-school shows. We again arose. Playin' tunes, real mean, with Sister Nadine, and our special guest, in his Sunday best, sang out some Stevie Wonder, with thunder and soul, we heard the lovely and talented Peter H. roll.
And then the news came over the fence, 'bout the ESO Young Composer in Residence. Adam F. won, his composition to be done, by the Symphony Sound, talent abound, coolest gig around. Congrats to A.F. for the prestigious call. All the Best in the Fall.
Our concerts continued into the season; Conn Hall for the parents, Festival of Trees for the pleasin'. We continued on to the Centre o' Winspear, with fear, we persevere, with the crowd and their cheer. Fun for all, especially the kids. Joy for their spirits, knowledge for their lids.
Then came the big one, the Kahoona, the Show. Bigger than any of us would ever know. West Side Story came in with a Blast! Solemn slows, blazin' fasts! The rehearsals were many, the time, though fun, a ton. But before we all knew it, it was done. Hugs and thank-you's, tears and sorrow, we'll deal with it now, bounce back tomorrow.
For almost the very next day, to play, to say, "Measure in Love" at the Jubilee. The ECS Celebration of the Arts is where we, the Vocalists, Cast, All-Star Jazz, and the Choir, performed on Main Stage and reached even higher. With the AOB Alumni Jazz Combo in the Hall, AOB shone at this year's District Ball. With the year almost done, one more night of fun. The final show, toe to toe, in "Cafe AOB" featured our students, their dance moves, and some singing did we. Guitarists' Stratocastin', Horns Wailin' and Blastin'. Little Wing and Michael B. Goode ended the year the way it should, with another great season, another great run. Congratulations on the work that was done, for the west that was won, thanks for the fun. And now another summer, enjoy the sun. done...
2002-2003  
We began the 2002-2003 school year with great anticipation. We were off to Hollywood in May to all get discovered and land a part in the next Spielberg Movie. But first things first. The Grade 12's put together a great show for our feeder schools and local Elementary Schools, and even a Daycare, highlighting the evolution of the Band Class, from grade 7 to 12. This acrobatic show landed Mr. K. some injury time and our percussion section head-over-heals rediscovering their Grade 7 roots. Our Concert Ensemble enjoyed a relaxing afternoon of Performing and Gingerbread Man design at this year's Festival of Trees. And our December Concert was once again held on campus at the University of Alberta's Convocation Hall… love those Drum Solos!!!
2003 saw AOB's own "Sally's Krackers" back in the studio to finish recording their debut CD, entitled "Limelight", which was released in April to rave reviews.
In March our Senior Concert Ensemble performed at the Winspear Centre for ECS Band Share Day, in preparation for our trip. Then, finally, it was May and our students were bursting at the seams with excitement ready for our California Adventure. But when we met at the Edmonton International Airport at 4:00 am to leave, they masked their excitement well. On our trip we did a Workshop/Performance with a local High School, we attended an Anaheim Angels Ballgame, we did a tour of Los Angeles and Hollywood, visited Universal Studios, did a Workshop/Mock Animated Film Recording at Disney Studios, Performed in Disneyland Park, visited Disneyland and the new California Adventure Theme Parks, and, of course, we did some fun stuff too.
The year finished off with our crazy Final Concert and an incredible guest performance by our Senior Jazz Band, aka "Sister Nadine and the AOB Funkadelic", at the Louis St. Laurent Big Band Dance Night. Special Thanks to all of the AOB Music Students for their amazing hard work and dedication to the program and to their performances. And a Huge Thank You to all of the Parents, Teachers, and Administrators for their support and patience this school year.
2001-2002  
2002 saw the release of AOB's first, full length, multimedia CD, entitled "Diggin' on Soul Food". The CD featured all of our Band Students in a number of ensembles, including: Jazz/Funk Combo, Class Ensembles, Senior & Junior Jazz Bands, Concert Band, and a number of Student Rock Bands. We also featured the AOB Art and Drama Departments in the Multimedia Section of the CD. Promotions for the CD included student performances on the A-Channel's "Wired" and "The Big Breakfast", 630 CHED's "Stafford Show, and write-up/reviews in the local papers. Special thanks to all students and staff involved in the production of this crazy project! Also in 2002, the AOB Junior Brass Ensemble received Honorable Mention and were Finalists in the National CBC Hockey Night in Canada Theme Song Performance contest as part of the celebration of the 50th season of Hockey Night in Canada.
Head of the Austin O'Brien Music Department is Mr.Koufogiannakis. Mr. K... has been working with Professional and Student Ensembles for more than 20 years, touring, recording, and performing regularly across Canada. He has recently returned back to AOB after a sabbatical in the United Kingdom, where he completed his Masters in Music Degree in Jazz Studies.

Links:

 

Contact:

Mr. K

Created by: The Austin O'Brien Music Department.