By Jordyn Martin and Jack Van Gieson

SANFORD, ME—After auditions in October, a total of 22 of Sanford High School’s very own choir and band students were accepted into the Maine Music Educators Association (MMEA) District 1 High School Honors Music Festival. They will perform at Noble High School on Jan. 24., with the instrumental concert taking place at 3 p.m. (doors open at 2:30 p.m.) and the chorus concert at 5 p.m. (doors open at 4:30 p.m.). The Festival is open to the public and tickets will be available at the door ($5 per person or $20 per family).

“The District 1 High School Music Honors Festival is an event hosted every year by the District 1 branch of the Maine Music Educators Association. District 1 is comprised of the schools in the most southern part of Maine,” explained SHS chorus teacher Ryan Geary. “The District 1 Honors Festival is our small-scale All-State, similar to an All-Region for athletics.” 

The students who were chosen will get the enriching opportunity to attend Nobel High School for a weekend and work with nationally and state-renowned conductors to create music with some of the best high school singers and instrumentalists in Southern Maine.

For vocal students, they were required to sing an Italian aria chosen by the state for their audition and do sight-reading and scales to showcase their musicianship. The instrumentalist students were given a piece to learn and perform depending on their instrument and had to sight-read and play scales as well.

“The adjudicators (or judges) are usually singers and players from all around Maine and New Hampshire that come for the day, as we host auditions here at Sanford High School, and provide not only the score for the student but also feedback […] for them to either use for their All-State audition or to just get better overall,” said Geary.

The following students were accepted into the Honors Music Festival and will be representing Sanford High School:

• Morgan Bailey (Soprano for Treble Choir)
• Alessandra Castro (Alto Saxophone player)
• Cynthia Carrol (Alto for Treble Choir)
• Callia Curtis (Soprano for Treble Choir)
• Avila Cyr (Alto for Treble Choir)
• Claire Davie (Soprano for Mixed Choir)
• Ava Fagan (Soprano for Treble Choir)
• Keagan Gagnon (Bass for Mixed Choir)
• Kai Hamblin (Soprano for Treble Choir)
• Logan Hamblin (Bass for Mixed Choir)
• Alexandra Herring (Oboe player)
• Rebecca Horton (Alto for Treble Choir)
• Ryan Kane (Bass for Mixed Choir)
• Braeden Landry (Tenor for Mixed Choir)
• Hazel Marcinkowski (Clarinet player)
• Jordyn Martin (Alto for Treble Choir)
• Loretta Sanfason (Alto for Treble Choir)
• Meredith Schoenherr (Soprano for Treble Choir)
• Josiah Thoms (Bass for Mixed Choir)

• Wren Trivilino (Clarinet player)
• Jack Van Gieson (Tenor for Mixed Choir)
• Ariana Young (Soprano for Treble Choir)

Make sure to come and support these outstanding SHS students this weekend at Noble High School! For more information please visit the MMEA District 1 website.