Nine band members have recently been selected to perform in Indianapolis at the 2020 Music for All National Festival presented by Yamaha, a national showcase for outstanding middle-school and high-school musicians. Those selected include a bassoon trio with junior Kiera Dicesare, junior Drew Keady, and junior Diego Pena, and a clarinet ensemble with senior Zoe Bishop, senior Ariana Carrasco, junior Ria Taluja, junior Bailey Koewing, junior Lauren Watson, and junior Phoebe James.

“Our ensembles have been working since last spring to finalize our music,” senior Ariana Carrasco said. “We submitted a seven-minute recording last June and were judged against other ensembles from across the United States. What surprised me is that only 12 chamber groups from across the entire country were selected to perform.”

The members of the ensembles will attend the festival during spring break for several days among many other gifted musicians, instructors, and conductors. 

“At the convention, there will be a series of masterclasses, both individual and group-based,” senior Zoe Bishop said. “I’m excited to hear other performers and what they have prepared.”

During their time at the convention, each ensemble will be performing around thirty minutes of music that they plan to polish over the next few months. 

“Playing for nearly half an hour is certainly a daunting task,” Bishop said. “I don’t think I’ve ever played for thirty minutes straight. When we perform with the band, each section always has rests where they don’t have to play for a portion of the song. We definitely have a lot of preparation to do before March.”

While the performers have a lot on their hands with their upcoming performances, they are nothing short of excited for what is to come and how it will improve their musicianship.

“Playing with a chamber ensemble involves both individual responsibilities with knowing your own part, as well as communication with other members of the ensemble,” junior Kiera Dicesare said. “This experience will help me grow as a bassoon player and as a collaborative member of a team. We’ll be able to receive valuable feedback after our performance that will help us improve as musicians.”