For the 15th time, Charlottesville High School has won the highest award given to school music programs in Virginia. 

The Virginia Music Educators Association Blue Ribbon Award goes to Virginia high schools whose top-performing music groups in band, choir, and orchestra all earn the highest possible rating – “superior” – in their spring district assessment performances.

The Charlottesville High School Orchestra and Band earned their “superior” ratings earlier in March. On Wednesday, March 18, the Knightengales, CHS’s soprano/alto ensemble, earned a “superior” rating to secure the program’s 15th VMEA Blue Ribbon Award. 

The CHS music groups are led by Band Director Jason Hackworth, Choir Director Will Cooke, and Orchestra Director Emily Waters.

“Receiving the VMEA Blue Ribbon Award once again is a testament to the culture of artistry we have built here in Charlottesville,”  said Aaron Eichorst, Charlottesville City School’s Coordinator of Fine & Performing Arts. “This honor isn’t just about a single performance; it represents a decades-long legacy of excellence that begins in our elementary classrooms and culminates on the high school stage. It affirms that in our schools, the arts are not just an elective, they are an essential pillar of student success and community pride.”

Come out and see the CHS music department’s spring concerts:

• Choir: Wednesday, April 29, 7pm, MLK PAC

• Band: Sunday, May 3, 6pm, MLK PAC

• Orchestra: Sunday, May 17, 7:30pm, MLK PAC