Pandemonium performed during the Dallas Wind Symphony’s Mardi Gras Celebration at the Morton H. Meyerson Symphony Center in Downtown Dallas on Feb.12. It was the first time that a high school band performed alongside the Dallas Wind Symphony.  In addition, the steel band, a group within the Raider band also performed with the Grammy Award-Winning polka group, Brave Combo.
“I actually take lessons with a member of the Dallas Wind Symphony, and I have a huge amount of respect for every musician in that group, so to be able to share a stage with them was amazing,” junior Sydney Cohen said.  “Brave Combo is an incredible group of people, and I’ve been listening to them a long time so to be able to share a stage with them was even better. Performing with two Grammy winning groups in one day is ridiculous.”
Pandemonium was originally a science project that involved the making of steel drums by a former director and some of his students. As the students graduated, so did the drums. But in 2006, with the help of funds from former principal Susie Fegreaus and band director Todd Toney, the band was able to purchase another set of steel drums. The group meets weekly on a volunteer basis and has performed at gigs across the metroplex.
Sophomore Allison Whitelock agrees that the experience was exciting and that it was a privilege to be able to perform at the Meyerson. She admits that she was nervous when she saw the amount of people in the crowd but was relieved at the audience’s reaction afterwards.
“I had a lot of fun with it,” Whitelock said. “I had more fun on this gig than I’ve had on the other gigs we’ve done.”
Cohen also admitted to being nervous for the band because she describes the experience as being “up against some of the best musicians in the country, [so] try to keep up.” However, the experience has changed her future career goals.
“I do want to do it in college for sure,” Cohen said. “It has made me go from where I was questioning whether or not I wanted to stay in music. It really cemented that in my head that yes, this is what I want to do for the rest of my life.”