Four talented student-musicians in the Sachem Central School District have been selected by the New York State School Music Association to participate in the prestigious 2024 All-State Music Conference. An additional three students were chosen as alternates. The annual festival is among the highest honors a high school musician may achieve.
Congratulations to the following Sachem students:
All-State
- Brandon Rivas, HS East – Symphonic Band, Euphonium
- Jaden Rudnicki, HS East – Symphony Orchestra, French Horn
- Abby Tannacore, HS North – String Orchestra, Cello
- Matthew Umbenhower, HS North – Symphony Orchestra, Viola; Mixed Choir, Bass 1
Alternates
- Tristan Prin, HS East – Tenor 2
- Isabella Meichner, HS North – Cello
- Joseph Johnson, HS North – Jazz Guitar
Jaden Rudnicki, a senior horn player at East, is returning to the All-State for his second consecutive year, this time playing first horn with the Symphony Orchestra after once again receiving a perfect 100 on his NYSSMA All-State solo. Jaden spent this past summer studying horn at the Philadelphia International Music Festival and Camp and the International Horn Symposium in Colorado as well as performing with both the Island Symphony Orchestra and as a guest soloist in the Northport Community Band. Jaden currently attends the Manhattan School of Music Pre-College program every Saturday, where he studies horn with Hugo Valverde of the Met Opera Orchestra. Jaden maintains an active performance schedule as principal horn with Metropolitan Youth Orchestra’s Suffolk Principal Orchestra and third horn in the Stony Brook University Orchestra. He has also performed with honorable ensembles including the Nassau Suffolk Wind Symphony, NYSCAME All-County Bands, the New York State Band Directors Association, and the Long Island Youth Orchestra. Jaden is also playing Richard Strauss’ Horn Concerto No. 1 this November with the New York Session Symphony. Jaden plans to pursue a double major in Horn Performance and Music Education in college.
Also a senior at East, Brandon Rivas has been accepted into the All-State Symphonic Band on euphonium after receiving a perfect 100 on his NYSSMA All-State Solo. Brandon began his musical endeavors 8 years ago when he started playing both euphonium and piano, and 2 years ago he added trombone as another major instrument. He has participated in NYSSMA for many years on multiple instruments, including several perfect scores. He has been involved in nearly every musical ensemble and class available to him at school, including Wind Ensemble, Symphonic Band, Jazz Ensemble, Pit Orchestra, Marching Band, Pep Band, Music Theory I & II AP, Songwriting I & II, Digital Music Production, Stagecraft, and the Tri-M Music Honor Society. Brandon has studied privately outside of school since 6th grade and has performed with the Nassau Suffolk Performing Arts bands for the past 6 years, progressing all the way up to the Wind Symphony. Brandon is also an up and coming composer (primarily for wind orchestra), having completed 13 works. Included among his 5 self-published works is his first piece, “The Labyrinth of Madness”, which was completed in December of 2022 and premiered by the Sachem High School East Wind Ensemble. After graduation, Brandon intends to pursue a career in either Music Education or Composition.
Abby Tannacore, a junior at North, will perform with the All-State String Orchestra on cello after receiving a perfect 100 on their NYSSMA All-State solo. They have been studying cello in school since the 4th grade, and since 6th grade have been attending private lessons and cello ensemble through Annette Perry’s cello studio. In Sachem, Abby is a member of the Chamber Orchestra, String Ensemble, Pit Orchestra, Tri-M Music Honor Society, and Music Council. Since beginning their cello studies, Abby has also performed with several orchestras outside of school, including the Metropolitan Youth Orchestra Suffolk Orchestras, Long Island String Festival Association, SCMEA and NYSCAME All-County Orchestras, and most recently the Sound Symphony Orchestra. After high school, Abby plans to pursue a degree in cello performance at a university or music conservatory.
Matthew Umbenhower will perform with the All-State Symphony Orchestra on viola after being selected to participate on both viola and bass 1 (voice), having earned a perfect 100 on each of his NYSSMA All-State solos. The current North junior has been studying voice and viola both in school and privately since the 4th grade. In Sachem, Matthew is a member of the Chamber Orchestra, String Ensemble, Pit Orchestra, Symphonic Choir, IMAGE A Cappella Choir, and Tri-M Music Honor Society. Outside of school, Matthew has performed for several years with the Metropolitan Youth Orchestra Suffolk Symphonic Choir, Long Island String Festival Association, and SCMEA and NYSCAME All-County Choirs and Orchestras. This past summer, Matthew performed with the Sound Symphony Orchestra in their summer concert series, and he plans to return again next summer. While Matthew does not plan to major in music, he does intend to continue his musical studies through performance at the university level.
Every year, more than 6,000 students from across New York State audition for the All-State Honors Ensembles by preparing an accompanied level VI NYSSMA solo and 13 scales to play for a professional adjudicator, as well as demonstrating proficiency in sight-reading. Of these students, less than 700 are chosen. Students must receive a score of 98 or higher to be considered for participation, and the vast majority of participants receive a perfect score on one or multiple auditions. These seven Sachem students are among the top musicians from across New York State to be selected.
The All-State Winter Conference will take place in Rochester from Dec. 5-8. While in Rochester, the students will rehearse and perform with nationally recognized conductors in their musical ensembles. All performances take place at the historic Eastman Theatre in downtown Rochester.
Congratulations to these impressive musicians on this tremendous achievement!
Date Added: 10/7/2024