TAUNTON — Superintendent John Cabral and Performing Arts Director Corey Beltram are pleased to share that a Taunton High School senior was recently awarded first place at the South Eastern District of the Massachusetts Music Educators Association (SEMMEA) Composition Contest.
The SEMMEA Composition contest offers students the opportunity to engage in musical composition, share their work with others and advance their compositional learning and craft.
Senior Caio Dos Santos-Amado earned first place for his submission “Arabian Rhapsody” at the SEMMEA Composition Contest on Saturday, Nov. 19 at King Philip High School. Dos Santos-Amado was inspired to write this piece while learning about Arab culture during his history class. This is Dos Santos-Amado’s third consecutive time winning the annual award.
De Santos-Amado’s piece can be found here.
In addition to placing first in the SEMMEA Composition Contest, Dos Santos-Amado was also selected chair three of four on alto saxophone to play in the South Eastern District of the Massachusetts Music Educators Association Senior Festival on Saturday, Jan. 7 at Somerset-Berkley Regional High School. Dos Santos-Amado was one of four saxophonists selected from the South Eastern Massachusetts region.
On Dec. 20, Dos Santos-Amado’s piece, “December: The First Snowfall,” was performed by the Symphonic Band during the Taunton High School Winter Band Concert at Taunton High School. Dos Santos-Amado wrote “December: The First Snowfall” with the vision of telling a story of emotion throughout the winter months, drawn from his personal experiences. Dos Santos-Amado dedicated this piece to his friend, Mia Fernandes.
“On behalf of the entire district we want to congratulate Caio for this outstanding achievement,” said Superintendent Cabral. “Caio’s music tells a powerful story and it has been exciting to watch his talent progress.”
Dos Santos-Amado was recently accepted to the State University of New York at Fredonia, where he hopes to further his education in music and minor in Music Performance.
The Taunton High School band plans to travel to Disney World in April to perform Dos Santos-Amado’s piece “Dauntless,” in Downtown Disney.
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