Schools

Long Islanders Represent at All-National Music Fest

More than three dozen Long Islanders performed in Nashville.

Nearly three dozen Long Islanders were among the 671 selected students performing in the 2013 NAfME All-National Honor Ensembles at a Wednesday gala in Nashville, TN.

The performance – sponsored by the National Association for Music Education – included 671 students from 43 states, as well as Washington, DC, and Europe.  

The students performed under the baton of four U.S. conductors, including Dr. Peter Boonshaft, currently serving as professor of music, director of bands and director of the graduate conducting program at Hofstra University in Hempstead; Miriam Burns, formerly on staff with the New York Philharmonic and whose current positions include one with the McLean Orchestra in Virginia; Rollo Dilworth,  whose current positions include chairing Temple University’s Boyer School of Music and Dance in Philadelphia; and Rodney Whitaker, currently of Michigan State University, who for seven years served as bassist with the Wynton Marsalis Sextet, the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra.

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Long Island students in the Honors Band included Mary Pizzo of East Hampton High School, Gregory DeAngelis of Farmingdale High School, Monica Chen of Half Hollow Hills High School West, Timothy Diovanni of Massapequa High School, Ethan Usoskin of Paul D. Schreiber High School, and Paul Kim of The Wheatley School.

Students in Honors Chorus included Brandon Walters of Connetquot High School, Megan Jane McGuinness of Eastport South Manor Jr./Sr. High School, Ryan Harrigan of Elwood – John H. Glenn High School, Brendan Hopkins of Farmingdale High School, Claudia Kolanovic of Glen Cove High School, Jessica Drucker of Great Neck South High School, Daniel Saulle of Harborfields High School, Justin Albinder of Hauppauge High School, Michael Lamendola of Hauppauge High School, Joslyn Thomas of Herricks High School, Joshua Goldenberg of Roslyn High School, Lauren Lamonsoff of Sanford H. Calhoun High School, Phillip  Losquadro of St. Anthony’s High School, Robert Buonaspina of St. John the Baptist Diocesan High School, Justin Bergson of Syosset High School, Sasha Rubman of The Stony Brook School, Alana DeGregorio of Wellington C. Mepham High School, Abigail Carberry of West Babylon High School, Connor Regan of Westhampton Beach High School.

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Students in Honors Jazz included Matt Malanowski of Farmingdale High School and Gabriel Nekrutman of Ward Melville High School.

Students in Honors Orchestra included Leah Stevens of East Islip High School, Sam Huang of Great Neck South High School, Daniella Greene of Hampton Bays High School, Erick Celedonio of Oceanside High School, Nicholas Kleinman of Sachem North, Hyunkee Sung of Syosset High School, Anna Byington of West Islip High School. 

Editor's Note: The author of this story attended the All-National gala, where her son, Ethan Usoskin, performed.


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