An ensemble from Seven Lakes High School has been named the winner of The American Prize in Orchestra Performance (schools division), according to the school’s Director of Orchestras Desiree Overree.

“Our Symphony Strings (which is the string section from the SLHS Symphony Orchestra) was named the national winner, with the Seven Lakes Symphony Orchestra winning second place,” Overree told the Katy Times in a November 19 email.

The American Prize in Music is a series of national competitions for performing artists in the United States, awarding cash prizes for excellence in various music categories like orchestral, choral, opera, and musical theater performance, Overree said. It is a national, nonprofit competition that recognizes and rewards the best recorded performances by individuals and ensembles at the professional, college, community, and high school levels, and there is no live competition component.

“During the past twenty years of our campus’ existence, the Seven Lakes Orchestras have aspired to be a leader in musical performance through innovative programming and performances,” Overree said in a separate blog post. “The Symphony Strings is comprised of students from the varsity and non-varsity string ensembles at Seven Lakes High School. This ensemble also performs as the string complement of our award-winning Symphony Orchestra. Since its opening, the Symphony Strings have earned top honors at regional and state competitions, as well as performed at major venues in the United States, including Meyerson Symphony Hall in Dallas, Chicago’s Symphony Center, and Indianapolis’ Hilbert Hall and Carnegie Hall. The ensemble won the TMEA Honor String Competition in 2024 and were Finalists for the American Prize in Music (high school division).”

The Seven Lakes Symphony Orchestra is comprised of the top two string ensembles and the top band at Seven Lakes High School. In its 20-year history, the ensemble has earned numerous awards and accolades at the regional, state, and national level, including being a National Winner in the Mark of Excellence / National Honors Project since 2015, winning the American Prize in Music in 2018, 2021, and 2023 and being named the state champion full orchestra for Texas Music Educators Association in 2016 and 2020. The Symphony Orchestra is conducted by Overree, John Mays, and Sean Carlton.