Huntington All-County Musicians Shine at SCMEA Festivals

The Huntington High School auditorium recently played host to more than 1,000 All-County musicians spread across grades 5-10 at three separate concerts that together drew crowds totaling 3,000 earlier this month.

Sponsored by the Suffolk County Music Educators Association (SCMEA), the West Division concerts included an array of exceptional musicians, including dozens from Huntington UFSD. SCMEA is an association representing professional music educators in the county. The organization will celebrate its 70th anniversary in 2025.

All-County musicians are selected each year based upon their superior scores at the annual spring New York State School Music Association solo and small ensemble festivals held throughout Suffolk and across the state.

The students were split into Division 3 (grades 9-10), Division 2 (grades 7-8) and Division 1 (grades 5-6). Each Division concert featured 3 performing ensembles: All-County Orchestra, All-County Band and All-County Chorus.

There were 56 Huntington UFSD musicians among the All-County performers, representing Huntington High School, J. Taylor Finley Middle School, Woodhull Intermediate School and Jack Abrams STEM Magnet School.

Huntington’s All-County performers include:

Huntington High School

Orchestra: Rachel Huth (viola), Manpreet Kaur (double bass), Quinn Rinaldi (violin 2)

Band: Claire Parks (Bb clarinet 1), Dana Saramago (French horn 3), Sena Kopf (Bb clarinet 2)

Chorus: Emily Barba (alto 2), Walter Lopez Martinez (tenor 1), Sergio Portillo (tenor 1), Lily Wasoski (soprano 2), Dennis McCook (tenor 1), Michael Munch (bass 2), Michael DiVencenzo (tenor 1), Shariff Penalo (bass 2)

J. Taylor Finley Middle School

Orchestra: Gabriel McManus (cello), Patricia Abruzzo (violin 2), Cecilia Lee (violin 2), Caitlin Wegielnik (double bass), Angelica Cunningham (viola)

Band: Katherine Duke (French horn 1), Joseph Herman (trombone 1), Hanna Boyle (percussion), Brady Duke (French horn 1), Christian Guandique (flute 2), Luca Garcia (Bb clarinet 2), Emily McCarthy (Bb clarinet 2), Bella Bernzweig (Bb clarinet 1), William Respass (baritone saxophone)

Chorus: Iliana Jarmolowski (soprano 2), Caleigh Camarata (soprano 2), Helena Sullivan (soprano 2), Elisabetta Arra (soprano 2)

Jack Abrams STEM Magnet School

Orchestra: Stewart Henry (violin 2), Isla Campbell (violin 2), Julia Lanzilotta (violin 2), Anna Matarese (violin 2)

Band: Annabelle Donovan (flute 1), Naomi Halder (flute 1)

Chorus: Katherine Lyons (children’s voice 1), Nova Camarata (children’s voice 1), Sarina Kapoor (children’s voice 1), Jenson Walker (children’s voice 1), Dante Valentin (children’s voice 1), Isabella Correa (children’s voice 1), Ava Jimenez (children’s voice 1)

Woodhull Intermediate School

Orchestra: Luke Shanley (viola), Angie Ramos (violin 2), Lindsay Zilm (violin 2)

Band: Kenya Benitez Flores (bass clarinet)

Chorus: Caroline Wegielnik (children’s voice 1), Sutter Flynn (children’s voice 1), Montserrat Mani-Munoz (children’s voice 1), Scarlett Phillips (children’s voice 1), Juliet Grjvia (children’s voice 1), Elle Ubriaco (children’s voice 1), Angelly Rivas Jerez (children’s voice 1)

“Huntington last hosted SCMEA concerts in 2015,” said Thomas Gellert, interim district director of fine and performing arts. “Huntington’s hosting was a massive effort involving many volunteers, including Huntington music department members, Huntington’s Tri-M Music Honor Society members and secretarial, custodial and security staff.”

The All-County musicians participated in three separate divisional rehearsals hosted in other school districts over the course of two weekends prior to the concerts held at Huntington High School. In each division, guest conductors were selected from a list of outstanding music educators and noteworthy conductors to guest conduct each musical ensemble.

“On behalf of the SCMEA executive and advisory board members, I would like to personally spotlight the sense of teamwork, dedication, and joy exhibited at Huntington High School during the 2024 SCMEA All-County Festival,” wrote SCMEA President Danielle Schulman in a post-concert letter to Huntington Superintendent Christian Bowen and Mr. Gellert. “These qualities are essential for creating a successful festival experience for our selected musicians. SCMEA would like to acknowledge the detailed effort and hard work demonstrated by your team of music faculty and student volunteers during the west concerts. The dedication in upholding the unique needs of each ensemble is greatly appreciated.”

Huntington is scheduled to host the SCMEA All County concerts in 2029.