Nine OHS Students Chosen for All-State Honors

The New York State School Music Association’s (NYSSMA) All-State Music Ensemble is an illustrious musical event that sees the most talented student musicians in New York State come together for three days of performances and workshops. This year, the Oswego City School District will be sending nine students to represent the district.
 
Students are selected based on their scores at the NYSSMA Solo festival from earlier this year. The nine students selected from OCSD this year are Kian McCarthy, Daniel Dunn, Romello Velazquez, Xavier Vasquez, Leonard Lin, Nathan Carr, Gianna Ellingwood, Leah Norton and Miles Bandla.
 
This is a special year for OCSD, and a year of firsts in some cases. Miles Bandla was accepted as both a member of Mixed Chorus and as an Alternate for Vocal Jazz. He will be participating in Mixed Chorus. Nate Carr will be representing Oswego in the All-State Vocal Jazz Ensemble, becoming the first student in the district’s history to do so. Romello Velazquez was originally accepted as an Alternate for Mixed Chorus, before being called up as a regular member of Mixed Chorus. Leah Norton will be representing the district in the Treble Chorus section, which is the first time that section has existed at All-State since December 2019.
 
OCSD’s students will have the opportunity to perform with their peers from around the state, as well as learn from some of the best conductors and instructors in the musical field. In addition to this, students will also get the opportunity to watch concerts led by some of the most esteemed professionals in the music world.
 
Photo caption: OCSD All-State students posing together. Students pictured are as follows. Back row, left to right: Kian McCarthy, Daniel Dunn, Romello Velazquez, Xavier Vasquez, Leonard Lin
Front row seated: Nathan Carr, Gianna Ellingwood, Leah Norton, Miles Bandla