Band, vocal performers earn regional recognition

By Luke Tan ‘24

Luke Tan '24 and Sophia Fontaine '26 pose with their instruments after being selected into the All-NJ Wind Ensemble.

On December 10, 2022, a few members of the W+H Upper School community competed in the 2022-2023 CJMEA Regional Honors Ensembles audition. Jessie Grimes ’25, Raiya Patel ’24, Aadithya Srinivasan ’24 competed in the choral audition, while Joanne Ding ’24, Sophia Fontaine ’26, and Luke Tan ’24 competed on flute, euphonium, and battery percussion and timpani respectively. A testament to their months of hard work and preparation, all six were accepted into regional ensembles.

Patel was accepted to the Treble Choir, Srinivasan and Grimes to the Mixed Choir, Ding to the Symphonic Band, and Fontaine and Tan to the Wind Ensemble. After the all-state audition on January 21, in which the students who were accepted to Central Jersey Regional ensembles compete with students from North and South Jersey, Luke Tan and Sophia Fontaine were accepted into the All-NJ Wind Ensemble.

As Mr. Rick Fontaine, Band Director at W+H, notes, “Getting accepted into Region and All-State ensembles is a true testament to the hard work, dedication and love of music that these young people exhibit.” The students also reflected on their hard work.

Sophia Fontaine said bluntly: “The preparation was pretty hard. Before the auditions, I had already been practicing the piece for many months.” She has the rare honor of being accepted as a freshman into both regional and all-state ensembles, outperforming upperclassmen from all across the state!

The Region Ensemble experience has proven enriching for the students, who feel that it challenges them to become stronger musicians and individuals. Patel noted, “Not only am I improving as an individual vocalist, but I am able to sing with people that genuinely want to be there and involved.” Ding, who has been auditioning since middle school, said, “I felt honored to be able to finally be a part of this honors ensemble, and it was really a great regional weekend experience and the Nicholas Music Center was really a great space.”

Mr. Fontaine is eager to see their continued growth: “I look forward to the future of the W+H music program and I hope that what these students accomplished this year will continue to encourage even more of their fellow musicians to study music seriously.”