Schools

Five WHS Musicians Reach National Stage

The 2013 All-National Honors Ensembles sponsored by the National Association for Music Education performed Wednesday at the Gaylord Opryland Hotel in Nashville, Tenn.

About six Westborough High School musicians have been chosen for the All-National Honors Ensembles over the past 31 years, WHS Coordinator of Fine Arts David Jost says.

Five of them -- Chris LaMountain, Joel Reske, Enya Truong, Jesse Scheinbart and Benedict Hensley -- performed with the groups on Wednesday.

The 2013 All-National Honors Ensembles sponsored by the National Association for Music Education performed at the Gaylord Opryland Hotel in Nashville, Tenn.

More than 670 students nationwide were chosen for the ensembles, Jost says.

LaMountain, Reske, Scheinbart and Hensley performed with the Honors Choir, and Truong performed with the Honors Orchestra.

The WHS' contingent's size was not lost on the students.

"I don't think this has happened before," LaMountain said during a recent interview.

Scheinbart said the students had to be chosen for the All-District and All-State levels to be considered.

The eligible students also had to submit a two-minute video in applying for All-Nationals consideration, he said.

The four WHS students in the choir helped each other prepare for Wednesday, Hensley said.

“It’s very helpful to have other people, because most of us sing different parts," he said.

"So, learning together gives us an idea of what it will be like when we have the whole choir around us.”

Jost said that "the music they are performing (in Nashville) is extraordinarily difficult, and musically rewarding." 

"For instance, the Orchestra is performing movements from Mahler's Second Symphony (Resurrection). This is a major orchestral work and probably a once in a lifetime experience for these students," he said.

WHS teachers Alyson Greer-Espinosa (choir) and Kristin Chartier (orchestra) helped the students "get nominated and prepared for this event," Jost said.





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