North Andover High School Music Students Perform in Nashville, TN

Five North Andover High School chorus and band ensembles, comprised of 229 music students, took part in The National Invitational Festival of Gold in Nashville, TN, March 29-31, where they performed at the Schermerhorn Symphony Center and participated in festival performances alongside other gold-medal-winning choirs and bands from across the country.

Accompanied by Sara Durkin, NAHS Director of Choirs, and Justin Smalley, NAHS Director of Bands, the Concert Choir, Scarlet & Black Singers, Treble Choir, Wind Ensemble, and Symphonic Band attended clinics and rehearsals where they received instruction and performance feedback from world-renowned music professionals. The choir ensembles worked with Cristian Grases, an award-winning composer and professor of choral music at the University of Southern California, while the bands worked with Dr. Michael Bankhead, a recently retired Music Department Head at Utah State University, and former Commander/Conductor of the United States Air Force Band.

All five ensembles performed before festival adjudicators on Sunday, March 31st. The Scarlet and Black Singers and the Wind Ensemble were named as Top Scoring Festival Choir and Top Scoring Festival Concert Band, earning them the honor of performing in the Encore Concert that evening.

Additionally, a number of NAHS students were selected by audition to perform in the Festival Choir and Concert Band ensembles. Sophia Barbato, Catherine Benson, Manal Boutissant, (Soprano 1), Shailey Concheri, Samantha Linscott, Caroline Pace, (Soprano 2), Katherine Albrecht, Courtney Francoeur, Jordan Mongell, and Alana Myers, (Alto), sang in the Festival Treble Choir; Hannah Carroll, Madeline MacLellan, Jacqueline Pallazola, (Soprano), Lauren Brennan, Carly Fraser, Nilan Rivers, (Alto), Eros Aguirre-Canetti, Noah Freedman, Derek Gilmore, Cameron Joshua Holland, (Tenor), Owen Ferguson, Isaac Gliklich, Francis Hearst, and James Lyons, (Bass), sang with the Festival Mixed Choir; and Evie Gosselin, Mikey Ando, Mena Abbay, Holly Tang, (Flute), Clarence Yeh, Eric Spitzer, Teresa Kissel, (Clarinet), Katie Kooken, Anna McGrath, Emma Buyea, Rishika Mekkena, (Alto Saxophone), Piyush Kumar, (French horn), Joe Huggins, (Trombone), Shawn Belongia, (Euphonium), Samuel Karkache, (Timpani), Conor Curtin, and Evelyn Wang, (Percussion), performed with the Festival Concert Band.

The North Andover contingency was joined by ensembles from Bonney Lake, WA, Concord, NC, Columbus, OH, Folsom, CA, Fountain Valley, CA, Mission Viejo, CA, Bend, OR, Portland, OR, Peculiar, MO, St. Louis, MO, Lansdale, PA, Arlington, TX, Minot, ND, Jackson, MS, Arlington, VA, and Ontario, Canada.

Students spent free time exploring downtown Nashville, The Country Music Hall of Fame, and The Nashville Zoo. The trip also included a line dancing lesson at The Wildhorse Saloon, and a show at the Grand Ole Opry.

For Festival of Gold video recordings, please visit the North Andover Music Association on Facebook, www.facebook.com/northandovermusic/. Visit NAMA on the web at www.northandovermusic.org.