On Thursday, March 2, the wind ensemble earned a straight superior rating at the Music Performance Assessment, or MPA, competition. A panel of three judges at the USF School of Music awarded their 23-minute performance the highest possible rating. This is the fifth year in a row that the wind ensemble has earned this rating, which has set a precedence of excellence for the program.

“We’ve established the band program here and the expectation is to get that rating,” band director Christopher Revett said. “It just feels good for me that we’re able to be at that level and accomplish that on a yearly basis.”

However, while the rating is appreciated, it is not Revett’s primary concern.

“We don’t ever necessarily care if we get it or not, we just want to have a great performance,” Revett said. “But it is a nice reward to know that the judges appreciated our work.”

The ensemble’s pieces are anything but easy, and Revett is proud that his students embraced the challenge and performed cohesively under pressure, saying the group perfected the Celtic hymns and English folk song.

“It really felt great on stage…It felt like we were all together, clicked in,” he said. “It was a nice concert, a nice moment, and the judges enjoyed us enough to reward us with a superior.”