PROGRAM
"Double or Nothing'" - Mike Lewis
"Quiet Time" - Dean Sorenson
"Blues March" - Carl Strommen
"St. Louis Blues" - W.C. Handy / arr. Victor Goines
"Bebop Ballgame" - George Shutack
"Chili Today, Hot Tamale" - Rick Hirsh
"Arabian Dances" - Roland Barrett
"Terminal Velocity" - Tyler Grant
"Rhythms and Riffs" - Brian Balmages
"American Riversongs" - Pierre La Plante
"Loch Lomond" - Frank Ticheli
"J.S. Jig" - Brant Karrick
In August of 2002, Orange County Schools opened their second high school, Cedar Ridge, with 600 students and created a band program that consisted of twenty-eight students and their director Mrs. Patricia Hughes-Ball. After more than 15 years, the band program has grown to include approximately one hundred students and the Red Wolf Bands have performed concerts and participated in festivals throughout the southeastern United States. The program today consists of a Wind Ensemble, Symphonic Band, Jazz Ensembles, small ensembles, and the Marching Red Wolves. The Concert and Jazz Bands have received Superior Ratings in MPA and have performed in clinics and workshops in NC, Fl, GA, and NY. Members of the Red Wolf Bands have achieved numerous individual accolades and have performed in honor and jazz bands at the district, state and national level. Many graduates of the CRHS Band Program have gone on to earn degrees in Music, and numerous alumni have joined the ranks of the professional music and education fields.
In recent years, the bands of Cedar Ridge have played a role in commissioning new works for wind and jazz bands from composers including Steven Bryant, Roger Cichy, Nathan Daughtrey, John Mackey, Onsby Rose, and Jim Warrick. The concert and jazz ensembles have had the privilege to rehearse and perform with numerous professional musicians and educators, including: Michael Adelson (New York Philharmonic), Sherman Erby (JLCO), Dr. Andrea Brown (Univ. of Maryland), Mr. Bob Buckner, Dr. Evan Feldman (UNC), Dr. Arris Golden (Michigan State Univ.), Gary Green (Univ. of Miami), Dr. Frank Bongiorno (UNCW), Bryan Carter (NBC & JLC), Alphonso Horne, Michael D'Angelo, Jim Ketch (UNC), Jason Marsalis, Phillip Riggs, Dr. Rusty Smith (Elon), Dr. William Staub (ECU), Dr. Laurence Marks, Dr. Mark Norman (UNCSA), Benjy Springs (GSO College), Dr. Eric Willie (UNCG), Ken Watters, Marcus Roberts (Florida State Univ.), Mark Clodfelter (UNCG), and Dr. John Ross (ASU). The Cedar Ridge Band has performed at the North Carolina Music Educators Association In-Service Conference in 2006, 2012, 2015 and in 2018 Jazz Ensemble I won the Regional Essentially Ellington Festival at UNC and the Wind Ensemble was named an Honor Band of NC. The Band Program also has an IB Music course that is taken by individuals in the IB Humanities Cluster as well as Full Diploma students.
J.MICHAEL CAPPS is the Director of Bands at A.L. Stanback Middle School in Hillsborough, NC. A native of Princeton, NC, Mr. Capps attended Elon University and earned his Bachelor of Music Degree in Music Education and Trumpet Performance in 1999.
In 2000, Mr. Capps accepted the position as Director of Bands at A.L. Stanback Middle School. During Mr. Capps' tenure at Stanback, the success of his work has brought more superiors than years of service. Under the guidance of Mr. Capps, a continuous flow of A.L. Stanback band students qualify for All-District and All-State honor bands in the areas of concert and jazz. In 2006, the A.L. Stanback Jazz Ensemble was given the honor to perform at the North Carolina Music Educators Association Conference in Winston-Salem, NC. In 2009 the 8th grade band was honored at the Dixie Classic Festival with Best Brass, Best Percussion, and Best overall band of the day. A large feat to accomplish as we were performing along side High School bands throughout the eastern US.
When not at Stanback, Mr. Capps is active as an adjudicator, guest conductor, performer, and private brass instructor. Mr. Capps has performed with the Triangle Brass Band, Carolina Gold Drum and Bugle Corps, Greensboro Philharmonia, Cathedral Brass, Elon University Orchestra, O’Kaysons and Too Phat Brass Band. Additionally, he has acted as the brass technician for several area marching bands including Middle Creek, Apex, and Panther Creek. Mr. Capps currently acts as the North Carolina Music Educators Association Jazz Past-Chair, member of the Jazz Foundation of North Carolina Board, and has previously been the treasurer for the Central District Bandmasters Association and acted as State Auditions chair. His professional affiliations include Music Educators National Conference, North Carolina Music Educators Association, North Carolina Bandmasters Association, Central District Band Association, International Trumpet Guild, Jazz Education Network, and ASBDA - American School Band Directors Association which he was nominated by his peers. In the spring of 2017, Michael was named a Distinguished Alumni of Elon University along with being nominated and voted by his peers of the Central District for the Award of Excellence. In the winter of 2019, Michael was also honored by his peers by being named Central Region Jazz Award of excellence. In the spring of 2020, Michael was nominated by his peers as President-Elect of the Central District Bandmasters Association.
Mr. Capps resides in Mebane, NC with his wife Erin and daughter Rylee. The Capps family has one cat, Otis and one dog, Ginger.
Josh Cvijanovic is the Director of Bands at Cedar Ridge High School in Hillsborough, where he directs the Symphonic Band, Wind Ensemble Jazz Ensembles I and II, and the Marching Red Wolves. Mr. Cvijanovic graduated Summa Cum Laude with the Bachelor of Music in Music Education (2007) and the Master of Music in Percussion Performance (2009) from the University of North Carolina Greensboro. At UNCG Josh served as a Graduate Teaching Assistant, working with the Music Research Institute, Music Education Department, and the Percussion Studio. He was also an active performer with the nationally recognized UNCG Wind Ensemble, Casella Sinfonietta, Steel Drumming Ensemble, Percussion Ensemble and various jazz combos.
Mr. Cvijanovic began his career at Eastern Randolph High School, where he taught for five years before becoming the second director to lead the band program of Cedar Ridge in 2014. His students frequently participate in collegiate, District and State level honor bands, including performances with the All-American Marching Band, the NAfME National Jazz Ensemble, and the Grammy Jazz Band. Josh has continued the success of the Cedar Ridge program with many notable performances, including an invitation to the Jazz Ensemble for a performance at the 2015 NCMEA In-Service Conference. Jazz Ensemble I placed 4th in the Swing Central Jazz Festival hosted annually by the Savannah Music Festival in March of 2017 and won the Regional Essentially Ellington Festival Hosted at UNC in 2018. In May of the same year, the Wind Ensemble was recognized by High Point University as an "Honor Band of North Carolina" and was invited to the HPU campus to rehearse with guest clinician Gary Green. The ensembles receive consistent Excellent and Superior ratings at Jazz and Concert MPA annually.
Mr. Cvijanovic is active with the NC Bandmasters Association and NC Music Educators Association, currently serving as the Past-Chair for the Jazz Education Section, the CDBA Central Region MPA Site Host, High School All-District Clinic Chair, HS Member-at-Large, Central Region Jazz Treasurer, and previously served as Jazz Section Delegate and on the Honors Band Committee. Josh is in demand as an adjudicator and clinician across the state for concert, jazz and marching events. He has worked as a rehearsal assistant and conductor with the UNCG Summer Music Camp for eleven years, served as an Educational Consultant for Carolina Gold Drum and Bugle Corps, and in 2017 was a conductor with the “Carolina Ambassador’s Honor Band,” which tours the U.K., France, Switzerland, Austria, Germany and Italy giving concerts in each country bi-annually in June and July. Since 2019, he has served as the Percussion Section Coach for the North Carolina Youth Wind Ensemble.
He is a member of Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia, Pi Kappa Lambda Honors Society in Music, NAfME, the North Carolina Bandmasters Association, and the Vic Firth Education Team. In 2015, Cvijanovic was awarded the "Ed Rooker Encore Award" by the NC Chapter of the American School Band Directors Association; which is given to honor the achievements and service of new band directors and to promote the ASBDA mission of fostering rising talent in the music education profession. And in May of 2020, he was elected the "Band Director of the Year" by the Central District Bandmasters Association. Josh and his wife Amanda, an EC Teacher and Department Chair at Eastlawn Elementary School, live in Burlington with their sons Henry and Benjamin.
The Cedar Ridge High School Administration
Dr. Carlos Ramirez, Principal
Heather Witherspoon, Assistant Principal
Kristin Williamson, Assistant Principal
Bryce Richardson, Assistant Principal
The Cedar Ridge High School Band Boosters
President - Candace Marles
Vice President - Julie Rachlin
Secretary - Becky Butler
Treasurer - Lisa Dumain
Swing Dance Logistics - Dorothy O'Neil
Swing Dance Silent Auction - Debra Hunter
The Cedar Ridge Band Student Leadership
Band President - Zack Butler
Band Librarians - Sophie Dyreng, Michael Zelaya
Equipment Manager - Kennedy Kelsey
Marching Band Drum Major - Maddie Vernon
Marching Visual Captain - Jason Pattison
Marching Band Brass Captain - Eli Rachlin
Marching Band Woodwind Captain - Michael Zelaya
Marching Band Percussion Captain - Syd Bell
The Cedar Ridge High School Cultural Arts Department
Evan Mitchell, Theatre Arts
Sara Zaleta, Vocal Music
Lori Shepley, Visual Art
The Orange County Schools Band Directors
J. Michael Capps, AL Stanback Middle School
Tanya Murphy, CW Stanford Middle School
Brandon West, Gravelly Hill Middle School
Aaron Noe, Orange High School
CRHS Nurse Jennifer Pepin
The Outstanding STUDENTS of the ALS & Cedar Ridge Band Programs!!
Credits:
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