Paul Chavey is third row, first on the left.
557 Students from 49 States and Territories
to Showcase Talents in Orlando, FL, November 7–10
During the 2018–19 school year, along with other accomplished music students across the United States and overseas in military base schools, West Hartford resident Paul Chavey, a senior at Avon Old Farms School, practiced with dedication to gain a chair in his local, district, and state music honor ensembles. Now, Chavey will join the “best of the best” for the National Association for Music Education (NAfME) 2019 All-National Honor Ensembles on November 7–10, 2019, at the Gaylord Palms Resort and Convention Center in Orlando, Florida.
The Jazz Ensemble, Mixed Choir, Guitar Ensemble, and Modern Band concerts will take place 7–10 p.m., November 9, and the Symphony Orchestra and Concert Band concerts will begin at 9:30 a.m., November 10. The concerts are open to the public. Tickets are $10 and may be purchased online or onsite.
“Music has played a huge role in my life, and I've always found an outlet for expression in singing,” Chavey said. “I've participated in choirs for as long as I can remember, but only recently have I begun to take on the challenge of regional, state, and now, National Honor Choirs. Still, I've loved every minute of it. Making music with similarly driven and passionate singers is an experience like no other, and I'm so grateful for the opportunity to represent my school and myself on such a high level!”
The All-National Honor Ensembles performers represent collaboration and creativity in its highest musical form. The All-National Honor Ensembles consist of a concert band, symphony orchestra, mixed choir, jazz ensemble, guitar ensemble (now in its second year), and modern band (new this year). Students were chosen through an audition process. The concert band and symphony orchestra will each have 119 and 121 instrumentalists respectively, the jazz ensemble 20 instrumentalists, the mixed choir 240 vocalists, the guitar ensemble 41 instrumentalists, and the modern band 16 performers.
Selected students will be rehearsing a challenging repertoire in preparation for performing under the direction of six of the most prominent conductors in the United States: Tesfa Wondemagegnehu (Mixed Choir); Soo Han (Symphony Orchestra); Emily Threinen (Concert Band); Todd Stoll with Camille Thurman (Jazz Ensemble); Bill Swick (Guitar Ensemble); and Scott Burstein (Modern Band). All conductors have received top honors in their field and will spend several days rehearsing with students before the concert.
Names, schools and states, as well as music directors, of the 557 2019 All-National Honor Ensemble students will be available at this website late August: nafme.org/ANHE.
National Association for Music Education, among the world’s largest arts education organizations, is the only association that addresses all aspects of music education. NAfME advocates at the local, state, and national levels; provides resources for teachers, parents, and administrators; hosts professional development events; and offers a variety of opportunities for students and teachers. The Association has supported music educators at all teaching levels for more than a century. With more than 60,000 members teaching millions of students nationwide, the organization is the national voice of music education in the United States.