Cambridge High School Students Invited to Georgia's All State Band

Hundreds of Georgia's top high school musicians descended upon The Classic Center in Athens, GA for the annual All State Band/Orchestra Clinic in early March, including four students from Cambridge High School in Milton.

Freshmen Sarah Bowman (French Horn) and Jonah Shapiro (Trumpet); Junior Ugo Nwakanma (Trombone) and Senior William Morgan (Trumpet) auditioned in early December to earn a coveted slot in what has become the state’s most competitive audition for high school musicians. Only a small percentage of students who audition win a seat to attend the annual event.

Hosted by the Georgia Music Educators Association, the 2024 All State Band /Orchestra weekend brings together the state’s top musical students, teachers, composers, and conductors. Students are given approximately 10 hours of in-person rehearsal with their assigned conductor and fellow musicians before individual bands and orchestras perform hour-long concerts of brand-new music in the Classic Center.

This year’s concerts were held on Saturday, March 2, and boasted works ranging from “Adoration” by Florence Price to “In Living Color” by Katahj Copley. Overcome with emotion, guests ended each show with a rousing standing ovation, a true testament to the skill and unbridled talent of the young musicians standing before them who show tremendous promise for the future of live music.

Outside of the All State Band/Orchestra weekend, the four Cambridge students chosen for this honor work daily under the leadership of Mr. Daniel Scott, Director of Bands of CHS, Scott is getting regional and national nods for his work. Since arriving to Cambridge in 2021, the school’s music program has enjoyed explosive growth in size, scope, and skill. Scott oversees the school’s nationally recognized 110-person marching band, award-winning wind ensemble, as well as two other concert bands, two jazz bands, the nationally ranked Winterguard, indoor percussion, and he conducts the school’s musical theater pit orchestra. Scott also travels regionally and nationally with the CHS students, providing careful focus to instill culture and context behind the music he’s teaching.

“To say I enjoy working with these kids would be an understatement,” said Scott. “The passion they convey for different genres of music is truly infectious, and their commitment to their craft is unparalleled. We are fortunate to have a principal, Ashley Agans, who is a huge proponent of the arts and shares our desire to continue to grow and strengthen the CHS band program.”

In addition to being selected to attend All State Band weekend in Athens, Bowman, Nwakanma, Morgan and Shapiro performed with fellow CHS wind ensemble musicians at the GMEA Conference in Athens in January as a featured ensemble, the Music for All Southeast Region “Concert Band Festival” in mid-March and will participate in the “Jazz on the Green” event on April 15 in Alpharetta and the CHS “Music Under the Moon” jazz concert and silent auction on April 27. To learn more about the Cambridge High School band, please click here.