Event Description

​The VHS Music Department invites you to join us in virtually celebrating the hard-work and accomplishments of our students with an evening of music, food and a virtual auction! This live event will feature virtual performances by our student musicians, department-wide awards presented by Mr. Hunt, and a proper farewell to our seniors. Considering the health and safety recommendations provided by the CDC, this special evening will allow every family to safely attend and honor the resiliency of our students during these trying times. 

Ticketing

Please visit the "Tickets" tab or click the "Buy Tickets" button to view our ticket levels. Our basic "Household Stream" option will include a private link for your family to view the live virtual gala on June 5 at 7pm​ and your student's catered meal on behalf of the VHS Music Boosters. Our Bronze, Silver, Gold and Platinum VIP Packages offer the option to purchase additional catered meals for the entire family to enjoy. If your family requires more than four additional catered meals, please contact Julienne Cormier at [email protected] for a promo code and customized option.

*Please Note: each VIP Package level includes the private household stream link and student meal[s]. 

Catering

The VHS Music Department 2021 Virtual Gala will be partnering with Lorraine Lim Catering to provide an exquisite meal to enjoy in the comfort of your own homes. The catered meal will be available for curbside pick-up the day of the event. More details on pick-up times and instructions will be announced soon. Vegetarian, vegan, gluten free and dairy free options will be available upon request on meal RSVP's to be sent out after ticket purchase. 

Menu

Caesar Salad

with organic romaine, sourdough croutons and fresh Parmesan

Piccata Style Chicken 

fresh herbs in a lemon garlic sauce with capers

Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes

Fresh Seasonal Vegetables: Best of Market

Double Chocolate Brownie

Vegetarian Option:

Organic Quinoa-Stuffed Portobello Mushroom

with fresh herbs Topped with Gouda cheese

Virtual Auction

Support the VHS Music Department through our Virtual Auction, featuring outstanding gift baskets stuffed with all Ventura County local business goodies and swag! The auction will begin at 6:30pm on June 5th and the winners will be announced at 10:00pm later that night. All proceeds will benefit the VHS Music Department. For more information, please visit our "Featured" page by clicking the tab on the above tool bar, or click here to visit our Virtual Auction page. 

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Ventura High School is home to some 200+ musicians who participate in over 50 community performances annually. The program includes three levels of Wind Band (Wind Ensemble II Honors, Wind Ensemble I and Concert Band), two levels of String Orchestra (String Ensemble II Honors and String Ensemble I) and the Studio Jazz Ensemble. In addition to classes, the music department students participate in various music clubs and activities including combo jazz, pep band, drum line, Tri-M, the spring musical and is the home of the Ventura Youth Symphony. Working with NAfME (National Association for Music Education), the music department promotes leadership through Tri-M, the national music honor society. The students regularly participate in the Ventura All County and CBDA (California Band Directors Association) All State Honor Groups. We work to make music both an art and a science and prepare students for the opportunity to perform and continue their musical studies at the post-secondary and professional level. Ventura High School works closely with the community and maintains strong ties with the music departments of Anacapa, Balboa, Cabrillo, and DeAnza Middle Schools and Buena High School.

Many of the musicians who have graduated have since continued on to become music majors and professional musicians and teachers at prestigious music conservatories including the Berklee School of Music, Boston Conservatory, Cal Arts, Northwestern, San Francisco Conservatory, Syracuse University, USC, and countless other UC / CSU and private schools across 23 states.

Director, Instrumental Music Ventura High School

Director, Ventura Youth Symphony

[email protected]

Mr. Hunt has been director of instrumental music at Ventura High School since 2010. In 2014, he helped to re-establish and become co-director of the Ventura Youth Symphony. This year marks his tenth year with the Ventura High School music department and sixth year with the Ventura Youth Symphony. Mr. Hunt received his Bachelors of Music in Wind Performance in 2007 at Cal State, Northridge where he also received his California Teaching Credential and holds a Master's of Arts in Curriculum and Instruction. Since Mr. Hunt's arrival at Ventura High School, the Wind Ensemble Honors and String Orchestra Honors have earned distinction at festivals throughout the nation, most recently at the national festival in Atlanta, Georgia at the Grand National Adjudicators Invitational and Boston, Massachusetts. Both groups have consistently received unanimous Superior ratings at state and national festivals and perform some of the most exciting and challenging professional level repertoire ever written. In 2010, Mr. Hunt created the Honors String Quartet which has received unanimous Superior rating at state festivals every year while performing some of the most difficult music in its genre.

Mr. Hunt is a freelance trombone, euphonium, and tuba player and has performed with various opera and theater companies, most recently with the Rubicon in Ventura and his professional affiliations include the Southern California School Band and Orchestra Association, the California Orchestra Directors' Association, the California Alliance for Jazz, the California Band Directors' Association, American String Teachers Association, the International Trombone Association, and the National Association for Music Education.

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Julienne Cormier

Event Manager, VHS Music Department 2021 Virtual Gala

Development Assistant, PYO Music Institute

[email protected]

Julienne is currently completing her third year pursuing a Bachelor of Science in entertainment and arts management at Drexel University and is anticipating an early graduation in June 2021. She plans to continue her education at Drexel’s accelerated BS/MBA program in hopes of advancing her career in arts administration. Julienne has been immersed in the performing arts since a very young age. Her passion for music began in dance, which she intensively studied ballet, jazz, tap, and salsa for thirteen years and competed along the West Coast in Scottish Highland for four years. She began her music studies as a student in the Ventura Unified School District in Ventura, California, where she studied bassoon under William Wood. As a bassoonist in the Ventura High School Honors Wind Ensemble, she performed in three national music festivals where they received superior ratings in Chicago (IL), Boston (MA) and Atlanta (GA), where she earned a Soloist Award at the 2016 Grand National Adjudicators Invitational at the Atlanta Symphony Hall. Currently, Julienne plays for the Drexel University Symphony Orchestra, Drexel University Concert Band and Drexel University Chamber Winds Ensemble and is a student of Colleen Hood. Julienne joined the PYO Music Institute staff in December of 2020 as their Development Assistant after interning there during the summer of 2020. For more information on the PYO Music Institute, click here.