Utica High senior among only 100 student musicians selected for Concerto Competition
For Mary Borus, success on the alto saxophone
is part of a family tradition.
She grew up hearing her mother perform on the alto
saxophone and her grandfather led a jazz band with the instrument.
And now Borus has been honored as among the best
student musicians in Michigan.
“I’ve been hearing it for a long time and it’s a
very cool instrument to me,” Borus said. “It is very versatile and it has a
really awesome sound to it.”
Last week, her family history of success will
continue when Borus became one of 106 students selected to perform in the
Michigan School Band and Orchestra Concerto Competition.
“It feels amazing,” said Borus, a senior at Utica
High School. “There are so many instrumentalists in the state and it feels cool
to be recognized.”
Borus was selected by adjudicated judges based on
her performance in a State Solo & Ensemble Festival. Students performed their solos at a concert April 8 at Central Michigan University.
UHS band director Brett Bays has had Borus as a
student for the past five years.
“She is a very talented musician who dedicates
many hours to practicing her saxophone and this has opened up many
opportunities for her,” he said. “Mary has played in several honors bands
and community bands in southeastern Michigan, and she was one of the UHS
Marching Band section leaders. Mary has been playing college level music at
competitions since she was a junior in high school. This shows her incredibly
advanced skill and she is always striving to improve each and every day.”
Bays said: "It has been an honor having a
student of Mary's caliber in the Utica High School Band program!”
Borus has performed with school’s wind ensemble
and is a section leader for the marching band.
She said her work at Utica High School has helped
her “learn how to cooperate with new people and learn new pieces of music.” Her
next step is to pursue a degree in music performance with a minor in business
administration as she pursues her dream of performing with the United States
Armed Forces Ensemble.
“I’ve been fascinated with their work for so
long,” she said. “I want to be able to perform at that level and have that kind
of experience traveling around the world.”