Graphic by Yujin Kim ’23/The Choate News
On March 31, 2022, the Connecticut Convention Center was filled with some of the state’s best musicians for the 75th All-State Festival. Of the hundreds of musicians, four of Choate’s own were in attendance: Jewon Im ’23 for viola, Helena Gernhardt ’23 for bassoon, Gavin Boudreau ’24 for oboe, and Aria Ramnath ’24 for flute. The festival, which ran from March 31 until April 2, is an annual event held by the Connecticut Music Educators Association (CMEA) to enhance the quality of music education for all children.
This event is composed of five ensembles: the band, mixed choir, treble choir, orchestra, and jazz ensemble. In order to perform in the All-State Festival, students must go through a rigorous and competitive audition process. Only students accepted into the regional level from November 2021 were eligible to audition for it. Among the myriad of audition requirements, some include scales, etudes, and solo excerpt performances. Students are evaluated on technical skill and musicianship. Students who pass the All-State level may then audition for a spot on the highly prestigious National Association for Music Education’s (NAfME) All-National Honors Ensemble Festival and may also be able to participate in the NAfME biennial All-Eastern Division Festival.
The festival was formed by the Connecticut State Music Supervisors in conjunction with the Music Teachers Associations on October 28, 1932 at the Hartford City Club. CMEA’s purpose consisted of three parts: serving music on an educational, cooperative, and social basis. To this end, the CMEA promised “to promote and recognize effective music teaching; to promote quality learning opportunities for all Connecticut students N-12; to provide a unified voice on behalf of music educators in Connecticut; to maintain a vital, effective, and efficient organization,” according to its website.
Festivals soon became an integral part of the association’s activities. Among the first was the All-Connecticut Festival held on April 18, 1936, at the Connecticut State College in Storrs. 300 students from 20 cities and towns comprised two ensembles, a chorus, and an orchestra. As time went by, CMEA grew to be the principal organization in Connecticut, representing all levels of music education.
For Ramnath, who has played the flute since first grade, the audition process was atypical because of the videotape format instead of the live judging panel format. “However, I’ve been doing these recordings for two years now, so I’m pretty used to it!” said Ramnath. “Doing video recordings is always harder for me though, since it’s easier to hear mistakes and parts you don’t like when you listen back to the recording. Live auditions are easier for me because I get one shot, and I’m done.”
Before the All-State Festival, Ramnath attended the CMEA Southern Region Festival. “Being able to play with talented kids who are from different towns in your region is super cool, since you get to meet new musicians and form new connections through music,” she said. “It was also very refreshing to finally be able to play with a regional band, since the last time I was able to participate was in 2019 due to Covid.”
As the first chair player in the flute section, Ramnath thought that playing in the orchestra was very different from playing in a band for winds, brass, and percussion only. “In orchestra you really must know your part well … since there are only two flutes in total,” she said.
In the three days she attended the festival, Im found that “the most challenging moments at All-State were probably from the sheer amount of rehearsal time [they] had.” Their packed schedule included five hours of rehearsal on Thursday, seven on Friday, as well as program rehearsals and a concert on Saturday. “At some point during the fifth hour on Friday, the majority of string players were getting shoulder cramps and painfully trying to keep our instruments up,” she noted.
Despite the shoulder cramps, Im also thoroughly enjoyed being able to perform in the final concert at All-State. “We were able to prepare three very difficult pieces to a high level over two days. I especially thought that the last piece we did, Tchaikovsky’s “Symphony No. 4 Finale,” came together really well considering how insanely fast it was and how much preparation is required,” she said. “Most people came in with the pieces fully practiced before the rehearsals began, which contributed a lot to the quality of the final performance.”
Im hopes to continue participating in future events, saying, “I’m hoping to participate in All-State next year. I also am hoping to audition and get into the All Nationals orchestra next year, a continuation of All-State.”
