All Catholic Concert Band to perform annual concert with students from area schools
Eighty students from Archdiocesan Secondary Schools and private Catholic High Schools across the five-county region have been chosen to participate in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia’s 2026 All Catholic Concert Band. The annual concert will take place on Saturday, February 14, 2026, at Bishop Shanahan High School in Downingtown.
The band will be led by guest conductor Dr. Philip Simon, Associate Professor of Music Emeritus at Wilkes University. Charles Keating, Chairperson of the Arts Department at Bishop Shanahan High School, will serve as the festival host.
Participating schools include Archbishop John Carroll High School, Archbishop Ryan High School, Archbishop Wood High School, Bishop Shanahan High School, Cardinal O’Hara High School, Conwell-Egan Catholic High School, Father Judge High School for Boys, Saint Hubert Catholic High School for Girls, Lansdale Catholic High School, Monsignor Bonner & Archbishop Prendergast Catholic High School, Pope John Paul II High School and Roman Catholic High School for Boys. Private school participants come from Gwynedd Mercy Academy High School, Holy Ghost Preparatory School, Martin Saints Classical High School, Merion Mercy Academy, Mount Saint Joseph Academy, Nazareth Academy High School, Saint Joseph’s Preparatory School and Villa Joseph Marie High School.
The concert program includes selections such as “O Magnum Mysterium” by Morten Lauridsen; “Fanfare and Flourishes for a Festive Occasion” by James Curnow; “The High School Cadets” by John Philip Sousa; “Cumberland Cross” by Carl Strommen; and “Calle Arriba” by Gregory D.V. Holmes.
Four Year awards will be presented to Victoria Buzzanca (Gwynedd Mercy Academy), Charlotte Hiscott (Cardinal O’Hara), Brigid Infanti (Mount Saint Joseph Academy), Allison Lon (Archbishop Wood), Michael Mastroddi (Monsignor Bonner & Archbishop Prendergast), George Schaffer (Bishop Shanahan) and Keira Surace (Cardinal O’Hara).
Tickets are $10 and available online or at the door. Children aged 12 and under can attend free of charge.
The Archdiocese of Philadelphia serves more than 1.3 million Catholics across five counties in Pennsylvania through over 200 parishes and various ministries including education and social services (official website). Its main worship site is the Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul (official website). Since his installation in 2020 as its tenth archbishop (official website), Nelson Pérez has led efforts focused on building faith communities and providing outreach through agencies like Nutritional Development Services and Catholic Social Services (official website). The archdiocese functions as a metropolitan see within the Roman Catholic Church structure (official website).
