All-County Musicians Shine at Music Festival

Pure delight. That's what one concertgoer said following the Division IV program of the Nassau Music Educators Association All-County Music Festival. Saturday’s concert at the Tilles Center for the Performing Arts at the C.W. Post Campus of Long Island University featured three groups, hundreds of performers, and great music.

The festival, which began on Jan. 9, with Nassau County's top elementary school performers, concludes on Sunday, at 4 p.m. with a performance by the Jazz Division. In total, 81 Port Washington students participated in the festival. 

Division IV consisted of Nassau County’s top ninth and tenth grade high school musicians performing in an orchestra, a band, and a choir.  They came together with three days of intense practice leading up to the festival.  Violinist Nicole Forman was among the seven Port Washington students selected to play in the orchestra. “They had 12 hours of rehearsal,” said her father, Peter Forman.  “They practiced on Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday, and now here they are.”

The orchestra opened the afternoon concert with “The Star Spangled Banner” and then played four other pieces under the direction of Conductor Ronald Sutherland.

The Division IV Band, featuring six Port Washington musicians, was led by Marcellus Brown from Boise State University in Idaho.  Their program culminated in a rousing march, “On the Mall,” in which Brown included the audience in a sing-a-long.

The concert concluded with the chorus, conducted by Jason Tramm of the New Jersey State Opera.  Their chorus’ finale, “Daniel, Daniel, Servant of the Lord,” featured two boys singing solo parts that brought the audience to their feet.  Six Port singers were part of the chorus.

The performances of all three groups were summed up by Marcellus Brown.  “These young people on the stage have been a joy to work with,” he said.  “I have treated them like professionals and they have performed like professionals.”

Delightful.

The Port Washington contingent:

Orchestra

Halam Kim – Violin

Amy Bomin Choi – Violin

Nicole Forman – Violin

Dan Bidikov – Viola

Connor Boyle – Bass

Matthew Digiovanni – Bass

Ben Rosen – Bass

Band

Minah Kim – Flute

Ellie Zolotarev – Flute

Nicolas Sapountzis – Oboe

Ethan Usoskin – Clarinet

Michael Gilmore – Trumpet

Leo Potters – Trumpet

Chorus

Julia Bain – Soprano

Laura Debruin – Soprano

Amelia Pacht – Soprano

Gisella Snailer – Soprano

Eric Rosenblatt – Tenor

Raffi Shen – Bass