For Immediate Release
Contact: Kristen Rencher at NAfME
kristenr@nafme.org or (571) 323-5898

556 Students from 47 States and Territories
to Showcase Talents in Orlando, Florida, November 7–10

RESTON, VA (September 26, 2019)—During the 2018-19 school year, talented music students across the United States and overseas in military base schools practiced diligently to gain a chair or part in their local, district, and state music honor ensembles. And of those elite high school musicians who were accepted to their district or All-State music ensembles, 556 of them—the “best of the best”—were selected for the National Association for Music Education’s (NAfME) 2019 All-National Honor Ensembles.

On November 7–10, 2019, the 2019 All-National Honor Ensembles (ANHE) will perform at the Gaylord Palms Resort & Convention Center in Orlando, Florida. The Jazz Ensemble, Mixed Choir, Guitar Ensemble, and—new this year—Modern Band concerts take place 7:00-10:00 pm, November 9, and the Symphony Orchestra and Concert Band concerts begin at 9:30 am, November 10. The cost of admission is $10 per person per day. Tickets will be available for purchase online and onsite.

The 2018 NAfME All-National Honor Ensembles Symphony Orchestra performed under the direction of Dr. Jean Montès at Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort in Orlando, Florida. Photo by Bob O’Lary.

The ANHE performers represent collaboration and creativity in its highest musical form. The ensembles consist of a jazz ensemble, mixed choir, guitar ensemble (in its second year), modern band (new this year), symphony orchestra, and concert band. Students were chosen through an audition process. The jazz ensemble will have 20 instrumentalists, the mixed choir 240 vocalists, the guitar ensemble 39 guitarists, the symphony orchestra 121 instrumentalists, the concert band 120 instrumentalists, and the modern band will have 16 musicians. Many ANHE members are also Tri-M® Music Honor Society members. Eligible students have qualified for their state-level honor ensemble program (not applicable to guitar or modern band students) and competed against top students for a spot in these national honor ensembles.

Selected students will be rehearsing a challenging repertoire in preparation for performing under the direction of six of the most prominent conductors in the United States: Todd Stoll with Camille Thurman (Jazz Ensemble); Tesfa Wondemagegnehu with Edward Rothmel (Mixed Choir); Bill Swick (Guitar Ensemble); Soo Han (Symphony Orchestra); Emily Threinen (Concert Band); and Scott Burstein of Little Kids Rock (Modern Band). All conductors have received top honors in their field and will spend several days rehearsing with students before their concerts.

Names, schools and states, as well as music directors, of the 556 2019 All-National Honor Ensemble students are available on the ANHE website: nafme.org/ANHE. Learn about past ensembles.

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National Association for Music Education, among the world’s largest arts education organizations, is the only association that addresses all aspects of music education. NAfME advocates at the local, state, and national levels; provides resources for teachers, parents, and administrators; hosts professional development events; and offers a variety of opportunities for students and teachers. The Association has supported music educators at all teaching levels for more than a century. With more than 60,000 members teaching millions of students nationwide, the organization is the national voice of music education in the United States.

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For additional information, contact Catherina Hurlburt at catherinah@nafme.org or 571-323-3395.