By Crystal Hayduk
Two Chelsea School District band students had the honor of being chosen to participate in the All-State Band performances on the final day of the 10th Annual Michigan Music Conference, held Jan. 22-24 in Grand Rapids.
Junior Kelly Bertoni played the clarinet in the All-State High School Band’s concert late on Saturday morning, while eighth grader Parker Stahl played the trombone with the All-State Middle School Band earlier the same morning, both in the DeVos Performance Hall.
Bertoni and Stahl were selected following auditions last fall through the Michigan School Band and Orchestra Association. The 10-minute blind recorded auditions included an etude and a specified set of scales, as well as a new score to test students’ ability to sight-read music. A total of 2,460 students auditioned for the 400 spots in the five ensembles that performed during the conference.
The students met their conductors and rehearsed with their groups Thursday and Friday to perfect music that they had been practicing individually since mid-December.
Award-winning conductor and composer Sam Hazo of Pittsburgh, PA directed the Middle School Band as they played five selections – three of which were his original compositions. Hazo was so impressed with the young performers that he permitted them to play his piece “From Gold” for what was only its second public performance. The song is not scheduled for publication for another one to two years.
Hazo addressed the audience: “When your child tells you, ‘I want to play an instrument,’ it’s a parent sacrifice – of time, patience, money, more patience, and even more patience,” he said. “But when you support a child’s music, you give them a deeper understanding in life. You give their emotions a voice.”
Chelsea High School’s Band Director Rick Catherman was proud of Bertoni’s and Stahl’s participation in All-State Band because it is a “… great opportunity for students to share their talents with one another, and with our state-wide community.”
Catherman praised Bertoni as a repeat All-State musician. “Besides being one of our outstanding clarinetists, Kelly also serves as drum major for the Chelsea High School Marching Band, and is a respected leader in the student council. Kelly is an exemplary band member, and we are proud of her and all of her accomplishments,” he said.
