By Ryan Flynn, Register Citizen
Eleanor Johnson will perform in the 2013 National Honors Ensembles at the Gaylord Opryland Hotel in Nashville on Oct. 30. Contributed Photo
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LITCHFIELD >> Eleanor Johnson, a junior at Wamogo Regional High School, has had her talent with the French Horn recognized in the form of an invitation to perform with a national ensemble in Nashville, Tenn. on Oct. 30. According to a release by the National Association for Music Education, which sponsors the event, she “will join more than 670 of the most musically talented and skilled high school students in the United States” to perform at a gala concert.
Christian Siegel, the Instrumental Music Director at Wamogo called Eleanor “hands down one of the sweetest kids I’ve ever known. Very smart, very polite, very talented. Just a great kid.”
Selection into the All-National Honor Band is no small feat. Instrumentalists like Eleanor must first be selected to the regional band, something that this particular French Horn player, from Morris, has done for three straight years. All-state is the next step up, something that she has accomplished each year as well. Eleanor made the all-state band as a freshman and the all-state orchestra as a sophomore, where she sat as first chair, the principal performer in an orchestra.
“That’s part of the reason that we applied for this,” Siegel said. “When you’re the top in the state at something, you might as well try it at the national level.”
Entrants for the All-National Honor Band must be recommended by their teacher and then videotape a performance of their all-state solo. From that, Siegel said, they select the groups for the all-national chorus, orchestra and jazz band.
For Eleanor, however, this should be no sweat, at least in the way that Siegel describes the junior.
“She’s such an interesting student because I have yet to see pressure really affect her. Either she deals with it really well or doesn’t let it bother her at all. She goes to these auditions; she plays her piece, plays it pretty darn well,” he said.
Paul Johnson, Eleanor’s father, said that he and his wife Janet were pleasantly surprised to see their daughter accepted into the band. The mother and father play flute and trombone, respectively, and mentioned that their daughter has been playing French Horn since age 10.
Eleanor studies with Joel Winter, her father said, who was formally the Principal French Horn player for the Waterbury Symphony. She also plays in the Greater Hartford Youth Wind Ensemble and is taking a certificate program once weekly at the Hartford School of Music.
“At this point in time she has every intention of becoming a professional musician,” Paul Johnson said. He mentioned that his daughter succeeds in the classroom as well and is a top student at Wamogo. Continued…
Further reading: http://www.countytimes.com/articles/2013/10/23/news/doc52648e4f4412b338490081.txt
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