Seven Lynbrook High School students are invited to state music festival

Seven students from Lynbrook High School have earned spots in the 88th New York State School Music Association Winter Conference in Rochester, an annual gathering of the most talented musicians from schools across the state. The conference will take place Dec 5-8, and students will perform in the upstate city’s Eastman Theater.

The Lynbrook students — a mix of juniors and seniors — will join a variety of musical ensembles. Eric Reilly will play violin in the symphony orchestra, and was accepted into the wind ensemble for English horn and is an alternate for the oboe as well. Brandon Haviken will play trombone in the symphonic band. Jack Ceglie and Gianna Longo will sing in the mixed chorus. Sophia Schoen was accepted into the treble chorus, and Liam Mylan and Molly Schutzman are alternates for chorus members who cannot perform during the ensemble.

NYSSMA aspirants must audition at a regional NYSSMA solo festival, where they are assessed by judges who provide detailed feedback to help them grow as musicians. Those whose performances are rated highly are invited to participate in the state festival, at which they have the chance to connect with peers who share a passion for music.

Lynbrook High chorus teacher Matt Wyner worked with all five students who will sing in Rochester.

“All five of them are really a joy to work with,” Wyner said. “They all were born with a great deal of talent, but they also worked really hard over the years. I’ve had a front-row seat to that progress, and it makes me proud to see them get rewarded by NYSSMA — it validates all the hard work that they’ve done.”

The students’ success comes after countless hours of practice and rehearsal — and musical teamwork. “All five of these kids really look to elevate the people around them,” Wyner said. “They really root for each other, which is something you love to see in a group of artists.”

Some of the students have auditioned before, and not been accepted, but this year their commitment paid off.

“They’ve all endured experiences that were triumphant and, at times, humbling,” Wyner said. “They kept on going, and I think that speaks to the resilience that you need to have when pursuing your passion.”

Wyner sees their success as an opportunity to encourage future students to try their best.

“You like to see good things happen to good people,” he said. “These five are all high-quality individuals that make Lynbrook proud, and I hope that they serve as an inspiration to the younger students to keep pushing yourself.”

The number of Lynbrook High students who are heading to Rochester is impressive, but not unexpected, according to Principal Matt Sarosy.

“To have so many students representing LHS . . . it is something that we’re really quite proud of,” he said.

Lynbrook consistently ranks among the best school districts in the country for music education, according to the National Association of Music Merchants’ 2024 report, which recognizes fewer than 1,000 districts across the nation.

“For 12 years in a row, Lynbrook has been named as one of the best communities for music education, which is a very impressive national recognition,” Sarosy said.

The school’s Fine and Performing Arts program encompasses orchestra, band and chorus as well as music theory and traditional and digital art.

“It’s not only the traditional band, orchestra and chorus,” Wyner said. “We’re also very much in the 21st century with this music theory class, where students work on computers to create music.”

Program Director Adrianna Schaefer attributes the students’ success to the efforts of school staff and the support of the Lynbrook community.

“We have a very robust program at Lynbrook High School — we have six different performing ensembles, and top-notch teachers at the helm of each of those courses,” Schaefer said. “The support of the community, the parents, the interest of the students and the teachers has consistently allowed our students to shine in the music department.”

And, she added, “Lynbrook has a strong past of students being selected to go up to the All-State conference. We’re very proud of that past, and we look forward to continuing it.”