Five Warwick Valley High School students selected for NYSSMA All-State Festival honors

Anthony Savino, left, Sophia Romano, Paul Gagliano, Geoffrey Hall and Julia Mosier were recognized for their music talents and selected to participate at the New York State School Music Association (NYSSMA) 2019 All-State Winter Festival, to be held Dec. 5 to 8 in Rochester.

Congratulations to the five Warwick Valley High School students selected to participate at the New York State School Music Association (NYSSMA) 2019 All-State Winter Festival, to be held Dec. 5 to 8 in Rochester.

The festival features students who are the “best of the best” in New York State. They will practice with student colleagues from throughout the state, culminating with performances at the University of Rochester Eastman School of Music’s Eastman Theatre. 

Being selected for All-State is one of the highest student achievements in music education.

Selected students are:

Senior Geoffrey Hall, mixed choir/baritone
Senior Anthony Savino, jazz choir/baritone
Junior Sophia Romano, jazz choir/alto
Junior Paul Gagliano, string orchestra/violin
Junior Julia Mosier is an alternate for either the treble or mixed choir as a soprano

The All-State experience begins with a music educator, his or her student and an accompanist spending countless hours preparing a NYSSMA Level VI solo which must be selected from repertoire lists in the NYSSMA manual. Last spring, over 6,500 New York State sophomores and juniors prepared for All-State evaluations in the hope of being selected, according to NYSSMA.  Adjudicators take those evaluations and follow a detailed process to determine the final make-up of eight performing ensembles.

The jazz choir and string orchestra will perform Saturday, Dec. 7; the mixed choir will perform Sunday, Dec. 8.