Walt Whitman HS Senior Wins Huntington Community Band's Competition

SOUTH HUNTINGTON, NY — Gianna Vozza, a senior at Walt Whitman High School, won the second annual Huntington Community Band solo competition, the South Huntington School District announced.

The competition was open to all Class of 2023 band musicians from any high school in the town of Huntington.

Vozza earned $200 for winning, as well as a solo performance with the Huntington Community Band. She plans to attend Syracuse University this fall.

She is a member of the high school’s Wind Ensemble and has played flute in the Wildcat Marching Band since eighth grade. This year she was a section leader and quartermaster in the band. She started playing the flute when she was 9.

Vozza has been a member of the Metropolitan Youth Orchestra Suffolk Principal Orchestra since 2019 and is currently the principal flute. She has been a finalist in two flute competitions, the Metropolitan Youth Orchestra's concerto competition and the Long Island Flute Club's competition.

She has also attended several summer music festivals, including the New York State School Music Association (NYSSSA) festival, the Oyster Bay Music Festival, and the Aria International Academy. Vozza also attended masterclasses with two renowned flutists, Bonita Boyd, and Judith Mendenhall, and has studied with flute instructor Alison Hubbard since 2017.

She won the blue ribbon award at the New York Flute Club competition for several consecutive years and was selected to play the piccolo in the New York All-State Orchestra this year. As part of her win, Vozza will be performing a flute feature with the Huntington Community Band on July 5 at 8 p.m. on the Harry Chapin Rainbow Stage at Heckscher Park in Huntington.

The Huntington Community Band (HCB) dates back to 1946 and is about to begin its 77th summer season. The band’s original members were a group of returning World War II vets, professional musicians and music educators and members of the Huntington community.