2013 Outstanding Achievement Awards
Garden City High School
Jonathan Kramer
Band
Jonathan has been playing the oboe for nine years, as well as the English horn and piano for the past two years. Since 7th grade, he has consistently performed as an oboist with the All- County Orchestra and Band. After receiving a perfect score on the English horn for his All-State audition last year, he was selected to perform in the All- State Symphony Orchestra. He has performed with the C.W. Post University Wind Symphony and Chamber Music Festival. He is Principal Oboist in the Garden City High School Wind Ensemble, and has also played in the pit orchestra for high school musicals.
Jonathan will be attending Dartmouth College where he plans to continue performing.
Emily Spain
Orchestra:
Emily has played the piano for more than twelve years and played the viola for more than ten years. This is the third time that Emily has won the Friends of Music award. She won the Outstanding Achievement Award for Orchestra in both fifth grade and eighth grade. Emily is the principal violist in the Garden City High School Orchestra and the Chamber Orchestra. She has also been a member of the Metropolitan Youth Orchestra of New York for six years; she has performed with MYO at Carnegie Hall and Alice Tully Hall. She has consistently represented Garden City in the All-County and Long Island String Festivals. For the past five years, Emily has tutored many elementary and middle school students on the viola. For the past three years, Emily has played in a string quartet that she formed with fellow orchestra members. Emily is also the winner of the Garden City Friends of Music Scholarship.
Garden City Middle School
Alex Joudah
Electronic Music
The instrument Alex enjoys playing the most is the piano. In elementary school, the first instrument he played was the cello. He wasn’t too excited about the instrument, mainly because he had to lug it on the bus to school and back. Nonetheless, it did give him the chance to learn how to read music. The next year, he switched to the trombone. “This instrument blew every last ounce of my breath away….literally… I couldn’t breathe. “It too also ended up being just as heavy to carry as the cello. A few years later, he decided to take guitar lessons just like his brother Ryan. In the sixth grade, he was in Mr. Russo’s electronic music class. Mr. Russo may be one of the funniest people he has ever met. He started playing the piano and realize he enjoyed playing it very much and thought about taking lessons. He also attends the Beyond Rock Music. Alex is grateful to his family for fostering his love of music. His twin brother Ryan’s passion for music motivates him to be a better player and person. Mr. Russo’s class inspired him to take those piano lessons and he has him to thank for letting him explore it and most of all teaching him to be passionate about music.
Ryan Joudeh
Electronic Music
Ryan Joudeh joined Plaza Theatrical’s Performing Arts Academy in June of this year. This is Ryan’s first theatrical performance. He has previously worked as a stage crew member for the show “Cinderella” at the Garden City Middle School where he currently attends. Ryan will be entering the 9th grade in September. In addition to being a member of the Music Box Players in the Garden City Middle School, he also participates in the Art Club. Ryan is also an avid guitar player and attends a musical summer camp called “Beyond Rock”. Ryan would like to thank his parents for pushing him to participate in Oklahoma and Tommy Flanagan for telling him and his parents about Plaza Theatrical.
Seunghyun Woo
Orchestra
Seunghyun Woo became interested in music when she was five by starting piano lessons. Then she began playing the cello in second grade. She has played NYSSMA level 6 for cello since age 11 and achieved a score of 100 on her level 6 NYSSMA this year. Whenever she attended All County since fifth grade, she sat in the top 4 out of around 30 other cellos. Seunghyun, as a sixth grader, has also performed at Carnegie Hall, New York City in the 40th Anniversary Suzuki Festival by the School for Strings. She currently studies under Professor Maureen Hynes.
Through her participation with the Young Symphonic Ensemble in the Children’s Orchestra Society, she has played in Lincoln Center numerous times. Some of the repertoires Seunghyun has played in the orchestra include Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto in D Major, Op. 35; Bernstein’s Overture to Candide; and Dvorak’s Symphony No. 9 in E Minor (“From the New World”), Op. 95; and Paganini’s Violin Concerto No. 1 in D Major, Op. 6. These works were performed in Lincoln Center in the Children’s Orchestra Society’s Annual Discovery Gala 2013
Cristina Sclafani
Vocals
Christina has always loved singing and music. During her middle school career her voice has matured and improved so much because of some of the programs in school such as chorus, the play and festival chorus. She believes that the Chorus teachers, particularly Mrs Menges have helped me become a better musician over all. Along with singing, she also plays piano and guitar. Playing these instruments has reinforced her ability to understand and read music. Music has always been a part of Christina’s life and I know that it will continue to be.
Stewart School
John Roberti
Band
John Roberti plays clarinet in the Stewart School Band. John is the proud recipient of the Outstanding Achievement in Band Award for this school year. John also represented Stewart School at the All-County Music Festival this year. John has studied clarinet with Music Director, Peter Stanganelli for the past two years at Stewart School. John has also studied with clarinetist, Chrystal Conklin. John plans to continue playing the clarinet next year at the Garden City Middle School.
Emma Solferino
Orchestra
Emma began playing and studying music at age 5 with the piano. Once at Stewart School, Emma Solferino participated in Band and Orchestra. Mr. Albani, the orchestra director, has worked with Emma for the past 2 years in addition to private instruction. This past year, she sat for three NYSSMA exams, piano, violin, and flute. She received a 27 out of 28 on her level 4 violin piece. Emma loves music and wants to pursue it for the rest of her life.
Alexandra Kucich
Vocals
Currently in rehearsals for the ensemble of Les Miserable at the Cultural Arts Playhouse, Alexandra has been involved with musical theatre productions since she was four. She is presently enrolled in musical theatre classes at CAP and takes Vocal training at LISMA. At Hemlock, she “wowed” her Teacher and Principal by performing “Copa Cabana” at the 1st Grade talent show. By the ripe old age of eleven, she has comprised such varied roles as “Ariel” in The Little Mermaid to “Berthe” in Pippin in YPT productions. Alexandra was honored to be chosen to play the role of “Antonia” in this year’s 5th grade Opera at Stewart School. She has also performed at All County and many school concerts. She looks forward to expanding her acting and singing repertoire at Middle School and can’t wait to see where her passion for music takes her next. She would like to thank Mrs. Grace and Mr. Albani from Stewart School for their guidance and encouragement through her tenure there.
Stratford School
Deirdre McVicar
Band
Deirdre, a 5th grade student at Stratford School, is proud to receive the Friends of Music Award for Outstanding Achievements in Band. She has played the baritone horn for two years. Deirdre preformed with the All-County Band this winter. Deirdre has begun to learn the trombone and hopes to be in Ms. Iovino’s Late Night Jazz Band. She studied with Matthew Boonshaft who inspired her to participate in NYSSMA. Deirdre was highly motivated by both Ms. Glickman and Ms. Piekut. In addition to Music Deirdre’s hobbies include swimming, soccer, skiing and track.
Lauren Palmer
Orchestra
Lauren Palmer just completed fifth grade at Stratford Avenue School and received the Outstanding Achievement Award for Orchestra on June 14, 2013. Lauren started playing violin in 3rd grade and then joined the Stratford orchestra in 4thgrade under the direction of Mr. Andrew Albani. As is the custom for 4th grade students, she was assigned to the second violin section. For most students, this provided enough of a challenge, but Lauren always strived for more. In addition to learning her own part as well as her own solo repertoire, which she studied with a private teacher, she pushed herself to work on the 5thgrade part as well this led Lauren to participate in the New York State School Music Assoc. Festival (NYSSMA) where she received a perfect score! Due to her outstanding achievement at NYSSMA, when Lauren entered 5th grade she was selected to participate in the All- County Music Festival as well as the Long Island Strive Festival Assoc. (LISFA). Lauren is honored to receive the Friends of Music Outstanding Achievement Award for Orchestra and thanks Mr. Albani for all of his guidance and support throughout the past years and looks forward to continuing studying violin.
Jaclyn Kuzma
Vocal Music
This year Jaclyn was lucky enough to perform at Carnegie Hall with the Metropolitan Youth Orchestra of New York. She was also in the Stratford production of the Little Mermaid where she played the role of Ursula. She was selected for All County Chorus this past January, and was very proud to represent Stratford School at this lovely event. She participates in the Broad Hollow kid’s theatre program. She is looking forward to attending the Garden City Middle School next year where she will continue to improve her vocal abilities and benefit from the great music program.
