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Conejo Valley Unified School District Bands Play the Plaza

An experience to remember! Musicians from Conejo USD bands performed in the Fred Kavli Theatre at the Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza. Instrumentalists representing the three area high schools and their respective feeder middle and elementary schools performed to a packed house of family and friends. Too large to perform together on any stage in the Conejo Valley, musicians performed on three consecutive nights, May 10-12, 2004. More than 1,200 students performed during the three day music festival.

The largest concert, combining the talents of the Thousand Oaks High School's instrumental music department with musicians from three middle schools and several elementary schools, performed on May 12, 2004. With this large performing group, the stage had to be extended all the way back wall of the facility. Every square-foot of performance space was utilized. Similar performances were seen on two previous nights when the Newbury Park Cluster and the Westlake Cluster performed on the same stage.

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This was the performance of a lifetime for many of these young instrumental students who will have few opportunities to perform on a professional stage. Usually, All District Band Festival performances are conducted in local area high school gyms, not a particularly good venue for concerts. Funding for this year's event was provided by the City of Thousand Oaks and a private benefactor who believes that instrumental students should have the privilege of performing on a professional stage. When will they get an opportunity to perform in the Fred Kavli Theatre again? That is not known, but it is doubtful that a venue will be available during 2005, the 10th anniversary of the Civic Arts Plaza. Whether they return in 2006 depends on obtaining a large performance grant or other funding.

Additional pictures of the rehearsal or evening performance are available.

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