Seven Lakes HS Symphony Orchestra, Desiree Overree, John Mays & Sean Carlton, directors, in Katy TX, is the winner of The American Prize in Orchestral Performance, school orchestra division, 2023. Seven Lakes HS Symphony Orchestra was selected from applications reviewed recently from all across the United States.
The American Prize National Nonprofit Competitions in the Performing Arts is the nation’s most comprehensive series of contests in the performing arts. The American Prize is unique in scope and structure, designed to recognize and reward the best performing artists, directors, ensembles and composers in the United States at professional, college/university, community and high school levels, based on submitted recordings. Now in its thirteenth year, The American Prize was founded in 2010 and is awarded annually in many areas of the performing arts. Thousands of artists from all fifty states have derived benefit from their participation in the contests of The American Prize, representing literally hundreds of communities and arts organizations across the nation. Information about the 2024 season of contests is available on the website: (http://theamericanprize.org)
Link to official announcement: http://theamericanprize.blogspot.com/2023/11/national-winners-orchestras-2023.html
The artists provided this biographical sketch:
The Seven Lakes Symphony Orchestra is comprised of the top two string ensembles and the top band at Seven Lakes High School. In its 17-year history, the ensemble has earned numerous awards and accolades at the regional, state, and national level, including being a National Winner in the Mark of Excellence / National Honors Project since 2015, winning the American Prize in Music in 2018 and 2021, and being named the state champion full orchestra for Texas Music Educators Association in 2016 and 2020. Seven Lakes HS was acknowledged by the GRAMMY Foundation in 2010-2011 as a GRAMMY Signature School. Our Fine Arts Department is built on the tenets of collaboration and excellence, bringing innovative performances to our community. The Symphony Orchestra is conducted by Desiree Overree, John Mays, and Sean Carlton.
