Albany High ensembles sparkle at NYSSMA Majors

Bravo!

Three Albany High School musical ensembles earned outstanding ratings Monday – two golds and a silver -- at the New York School Music Association’s Major Ensemble Festival.

The Wind Ensemble and Chamber Choir each captured a gold rating, and the Advanced Orchestra earned a silver.  

At major ensemble festivals, music teachers bring exceptional ensembles to perform music at one of six levels of difficulty. Level 6 is the hardest. Performances are graded as "bronze," "silver" and "gold," with a gold rating going to performers who demonstrate outstanding technical and artistic skill.

The Wind Ensemble, under the direction of John Halvorsen, performed Level 6 selections that included “The Liberty Bell” by John Philip Sousa, “Canzona” by Peter Mennin and “Carmina Burana” by Carl Orff. 

The Chamber Choir, under the direction of Brendan Hoffman, performed Level 6 selections that included “Ave Maria” by Anton Bruckner, “There Was a Time” by Eric William Barnum and “Earth Song” by Frank Ticheli. It was the Chamber Choir’s first time attending a Majors Festival.

The Advanced Orchestra, under the direction of Kelly Diehl, performed Level 5 selections that included “The Texians” by Carold Nunez, “Egmont Overture” by Ludwig van Beethoven and “Symphony #25, Movement 1” by Wolfgang Mozart.

Monday’s Advanced Orchestra performance marked the first time in more than 20 years that an Albany High orchestra took part in a Majors Festival. Monday also was the first time Chamber Choir performed in a Majors Festival.

Scroll down for lists of students in each ensemble.

The mission of the City School District of Albany is to educate and prepare all students for college and career, citizenship and life, in partnership with our diverse community. The district serves approximately 9,400 students in 18 elementary, middle and high schools. In addition to neighborhood schools, the district includes several magnet schools and programs, as well as other innovative academic opportunities for students, including four themed academies at Albany High School.