Three talented student-musicians in the Sachem Central School District have been selected by the New York State School Music Association to participate in the prestigious 2023 All-State Music Conference. An additional six students were chosen as alternates. The annual festival is among the highest honors a high school musician may achieve.
Congratulations to the following Sachem students:
All-State
• Jaden Rudnicki, HS East – Symphonic Band, French Horn
• Jeremy Cruz, HS North – Mixed Chorus, Bass 2
• Robin Gillespie, HS North - Symphony Orchestra, Percussion
Alternates
• Armaan Sandhu, HS East – Snare Drum
• Mason Vaughn, HS East – String Bass
• Jacob Flores Zeranski, HS North – Violin
• Ryan Panzarino, HS North – Alto Saxophone
• Christopher Sneider, HS North – French Horn
• Avi Talsania, HS North – Flute
Jaden Rudnicki is a horn player that attends Sachem High School East as a junior. Jaden has been playing horn since 4th grade, and has excelled in his craft since then. He is thrilled and honored to be picked to play first horn in the Symphonic Band in All-State this year after earning a perfect score on his All-State NYSSMA solo. Over the years, he has played in many honorable performing ensembles, including the Nassau Suffolk Honor Band, SCMEA Division 1, 2, and 3 Bands, SCMEA Day of Horn (multiple years), NYSCAME All-County Band, the New York State Band Directors Association (NYSBDA), and as a sub with the Queens College Wind Ensemble. In Sachem, Jaden has been a member of the Wind Ensemble and Tri-M Honor Society since 9th grade and a member of the Sachem Flaming Arrows Marching Band for 5 years, where he has held leadership roles. Currently, Jaden is principal horn in Metropolitan Youth Orchestra (MYO) under the direction of Mr. Phil Preddice, first horn in Nassau Suffolk Wind Symphony (NSWS) under the direction of Mr. Joel Levy, and first horn in the Long Island Youth Orchestra (LIYO) under the direction of Mr. Scott Dunn. Jaden’s future plans include completing a double major in Music Performance and Music Education in college.
Jeremy Cruz, a senior at Sachem High School North, will perform for the second consecutive year with the All-State Mixed Chorus on the Bass 2 voice part after earning a perfect score of 100 on his NYSSMA All-State solo. In addition to his two years at All-State, Jeremy has performed for four years with the SCMEA and NYSCAME All-County Choirs. In school, Jeremy is a member of the Symphonic Choir and the IMAGE a cappella group. He has been chosen to sing the National Anthem at events both in and out of school. Outside of school, Jeremy has studied voice privately since the 6th grade. He also dances with the Michelle Ferraro Dance Company and studies acting at Marianna’s Music Studio at the Martial & Performing Arts Center. Jeremy plans to attend college as a Musical Theater major in the fall.
Robin Gillespie will perform with the All-State Symphony Orchestra as a percussionist after earning a perfect 100 on two different NYSSMA All-State solos (snare drum and multiple percussion) as well as a 99 on his mallet solo. In Sachem, Robin is a member of the Wind Ensemble, Jazz Ensemble, and Tri-M Music Honor Society. Outside of school, Robin has performed for several years with the Metropolitan Youth Orchestra Principal Orchestra, SCMEA and NYSCAME All-County Bands and Orchestras, and the SCMEA All-County Percussion Ensemble. This past Spring, Robin was invited as a guest performer at Purchase College’s percussion recital. Robin is also an up-and-coming composer of electronic music who has released multiple albums, been featured on record labels, and led multiple online collaborative electronic music composition projects. In 2022, Robin received honorable mention in the NAfME Electronic Music Composition Competition, and this year was selected as a winner in the NYSSMA All-State Electronic Music Showcase. This past June, Robin had a composition accepted and played at the New York City Electroacoustic Music Festival. After high school, Robin plans to study Electronic Music Composition in college.
Every year, over 6,000 students from across New York State audition for the All-State Honors Ensembles by preparing an accompanied level VI NYSSMA solo and 13 scales to play for a professional adjudicator, as well as demonstrating proficiency in sight-reading. Of these 6,000+ students, fewer than 500 are chosen. Students must receive a score of 98 or higher in order to be considered for participation, and the vast majority of participants receive a perfect score on one or multiple auditions. These nine Sachem students are truly among the top musicians from across New York State to be selected.
The All-State Winter Conference will take place in Rochester from Nov. 30-Dec. 3. While in Rochester, the students will rehearse and perform with nationally recognized conductors in their musical ensembles. All performances take place at the historic Eastman Theatre in downtown Rochester.
Congratulations to these impressive musicians on this tremendous achievement!