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www.oakvillebeaver.com The Oakville Beaver, Friday November 2, 2007 - 35 Artscene Oakville Beaver · FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 2, 2007 Father Fogarty Dinner invite prompts new Aquinas band St. Thomas Aquinas was selected to provide the music at a recent event to honour some of the province's top students, and earned a standing ovation from the more than 400 people present. The school performed during the Father Forgarty Dinner on Saturday, Oct. 27 in Toronto, an annual event for more than 20 years that honours one student from every Catholic high school in Ontario for their contribution to the school and greater communities. "This is the only all-Ontario event that celebrates our top high school students," says Michael Monk, one of the chief organizers of the Father Fogarty Dinner. Invitations to provide entertainment and dinner music for the event went out to all high schools in the GTA, and St. Thomas Aquinas got the nod. "I'm really proud of these young musicians," said Aquinas music director and band conductor John Picone. "This is not only an honour, but a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for these students to share their gift with the larger Catholic community at such a prestigious event." Picone received the invitation last spring, and the Father Fogarty Concert Band has been rehearsing ever since ­ right through the summer. They were required to perform for two hours at the event, so the band worked to develop a repertoire of almost 30 tunes. "We have something for everyone," says Picone. "Medleys of songs from movie soundtracks, Mussorgsky classics, Canadian favourites like Newfoundland Folk Song and, of course, the Hockey Night in Canada theme; and some fun tunes like Take Me Out to the Ballgame and Hogan's Heroes March." More than 30 musicians from Grades 10 to 12 make up the band. "I'm excited to have this band perform for the Aquinas community at our Christmas concert," Picone said. Father Patrick Fogarty died in 1985, just a few months after the announcement about completion of Catholic secondary schools in Ontario. He was central in the struggle for equitable government support for Catholic schools. PHOTOS BY LIESA KORTMANN / OAKVILLE BEAVER PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT: The St. Thomas Aquinas Father Fogarty Concert Band (above) rehearses for the last time before playing at the Father Fogarty Dinner in Toronto last Saturday. Rehearsing band members included (top) Matt Skiva on the trombone, David Ahn on the flute, and Kelly Veloso on the clarinet.