Area all state musicians

Congratulations to John Jay High School students Emma Iamiceli, Ava Koch and Alexander Bond, who performed in the Westchester County School Music Association’s Area All-State Festival earlier this month!

Emma, who plays the clarinet, and Ava, who plays the flute, were members of the Area-All State Band; Alex, a violinist, performed in the Area All-State Orchestra.

“We are so proud of Emma, Ava and Alex,” said Jared Henderson, the conductor of John Jay’s band, and Elissa Leventhal, the high school’s orchestra conductor. “Just getting in the Area-All State is a huge accomplishment! They all worked very hard to master their parts and contribute to a stellar performance at the final concert!”

The Area-All State Band performed a beautiful set of music under the baton of Dr. Janet Kim, the director of bands at the University of Connecticut.

The band students said that their favorite pieces were “Amazing Grace,” arranged by Frank Ticheli; “Diamon Tide,” by Viet Cuong and “Halcyon Hearts” by Katahj Copley.

The Area All-State Symphony Orchestra performed under the direction of Steven Huang, a world-renowned orchestra conductor. They played a wide variety of repertoire including Tchaikovsky’s “Polonaise” from Eugene Onegin, Chaminade’s “Pas de Cymbales,” and even music from Lord of the Rings.