Owasso Fine Arts in the Emerald Isles
By Olivia Voth
Last school year, the Lord Mayor of Dublin invited the Pride of Owasso to march and perform in the Saint Patrick’s Day Festival Parade. Fine Arts director Chris Barber decided instead to take the entirety of the department for the week-long adventure in Ireland. During the trip, the groups toured the country, from coast to coast, on various adventures.
On Friday, March 17, there were a total of roughly 500,000 people present in Dublin for the Saint Patrick’s Day Parade. It was the Pride of Owasso’s third consecutive time marching in the parade, as well as their third time receiving the “Most Outstanding Band” award. The Pride of Bixby was also featured among the performing groups.
Collage of photos from the Ireland trip by Olivia Voth
In addition, the choir gave a feature performance at the Christ Church Cathedral in Dublin and sang “Oklahoma” with the band during the second parade in Celbridge. The locals in this town specifically invited the Owasso Fine Arts groups to be the main event in this parade. The town went wild over this large band of performers from America and awarded the programs with a special Appreciation Plaque on behalf of the community.
This parade marks four years since the Rose Bowl Parade in Pasadena, California when the Pride of Owasso made an extraordinary impact on other people's lives. Donations had been collected from parents and patrons by the directors to give outreach to whoever may need it in 2019 as they prepared for the trip. One donation was made to a new student at a California high school who had recently been hit by a car.
The other donation was to an anonymous woman who was a staff member of another high school marching band in another state. Her mental health had been on a decline, and her mother had a very dangerous form of cancer in her brain. Thanks to the donations from the Pride of Owasso, her mother’s healthcare was paid for, and the woman claims she is “forever indebted to the Owasso bands program.”
She had also sent her warmest wishes as the band prepared for their Ireland trip.
“I hope one day I can bring my daughter to watch your group perform. This group of talented individuals saved my life,” the woman’s message read.
The Owasso Fine Arts program got misty eyes listening to this message being read by director Chris Harris after their dinner and music experience at Taylor’s Three Rock. Owasso’s community truly has an international outreach that most are entirely unaware of. It’s incredible what the students and staff are capable of when it comes to making the world a better place.