Seven Cheshire Academy students performed on Jan. 12 in the Southern Region Honors Choir and Orchestra at O.H. Platt High School in Meriden, Connecticut.
Congratulations to Micaiah Bradley ’20 (viola), Krystal Charter ’20 (alto voice), Jane Golden ’21 (alto voice), Jameson Hardy ’19 (jazz alto saxophone), Tony Wang ’21 (tenor voice), Harvey Zhang ’20 (violin) and Nan Zhou ’19 (tenor voice).
The festival is coordinated by the Connecticut Music Educators Association (CMEA), which “provides programs and activities for music educators, students and future music educators striving to enhance the quality of music education for all children” according to their website.
The concerts began with the jazz band performing the song “Sister Sadie,” written by renowned Connecticut jazz musician Horace Silver. The performance featured Hardy prominently, who played the melody along with the bass guitarist and then took an extended solo. (Hardy also, notably, received a perfect score at his December audition).
Then followed the mixed choir, which featured Charter, Golden, Wang, and Zhou, performing a variety of challenging music from the Renaissance to the contemporary era in a variety of languages.
The orchestra was the final ensemble to perform, including Zhang and Bradley. The group gave a rousing and crowd-pleasing performance of music that included pieces by Aaron Copland, Andrew Lloyd Weber, and Russian composer Mikhail Glinka.
“The CMEA Honors Ensembles are a great way for our student musicians to challenge themselves and perform with students who are equally dedicated and hard-working,” said Cheshire Academy music teacher Nathan Trier.
All seven students are planning to audition for the All-State Honors Ensembles in February, Trier added.
