Dozens of Huntington Musicians
Named All-County
While the Huntington School District is widely regarded as a music powerhouse, it was still stunning to see dozens of students selected for All-County honors by the Suffolk County Music Educators Assn.
The students will perform this spring in highly competitive All-County festivals in the Half Hollow Hills East High School auditorium. Honorees will participate in bands, orchestras and choruses along with similarly talented young musicians from other Western Suffolk school districts.
"Each group performs very demanding music with the benefit of only three rehearsals, working with celebrated conductors," said Joan R. Fretz, Huntington's director of fine and performing arts. This year, Huntington High School band director Jason Giachetti will be conducting the Division II East band. Woodhull Intermediate School band director Chelsea Jablon is serving as the chairperson of the Division II West band.
Students are chosen to participate in the festivals based upon teacher recommendations and their respective score in NYSSMA solo adjudications during the prior spring. More than 400 Huntington students are currently preparing NYSSMA solos and ensembles that will be performed before a certified judge in the Huntington NYSSMA Festival on May 2.
Huntington's All-County honorees include:
Huntington High School orchestra members Christian Jamison, Jennifer Polster, Ashley Melgar, Monica Owen, Andrea Cerini, Jesse Feldeman-Stein, Melanie Grossman, Benjamin Nikodem, Katherine Gerdes, Adelia Witt and Francesca Gray; chorus members Nicholas Arleo, Joshua Stickell, Kyle Dorward, Monica Owen, Jacqueline Contino, Chelsea Holmes and Brianne Bennett; and band members Brianna Kirkland, Matthew Beeby, Matthew Angeliades, Colin Kirkpatrick, Jonathan Wood, Kevin Montefusco, Jonathan Engle, Josh Solomowitz, Nina Flores and Olivia Palmer.
J. Taylor Finley Middle School orchestra members Suzie Petryk, Samuel Latt, Hailey Giordano, Cristina Bateman and Zak Perea; chorus members Alexandra Caffrey, Darle Riordan, Ariel Aguilar, Andrew Gunthner, James Vicari and Justin Waite; and band members Sophia Latt, Olivia Stamatatos, Justin Loturco, Dylan Delgiudice and Hallie Raskin.
Woodhull Intermediate School orchestra members Max Robbins, Miranda Nykolyn and Gabriella Deluca; band members Jordan Biener, Julia Engle, Jamie Spector and Aidan Dunn; and chorus members Leiss Audate, Kayla Ryan, Allyson Arleo, Quinn Blackburn, Elizabeth Gonzales and Emma Reilly.
Four Huntington student-musicians have been selected as principal players (first chair) in the SCEMA All-County festival bands. The students include sophomore Matthew Beeby (principal second trombone – Division III), freshman Brianna Kirkland (principal horn – Division III) and sixth graders Jordan Biener (principal second trombone – Division I) and Julia Engle (principal oboe- Division I).
"It really is impressive to have so many of our music students selected for the NYSSMA All-County festivals," Huntington Superintendent John J. Finello said. "We are proud of our talented students and grateful to their supportive parents."