Each year, high school musicians and vocalists from Western Massachusetts audition to participate in the Senior District Festival concert as members of the Western District of the Massachusetts Music Educators Association on Saturday, January 16 at UMass – Amherst. Several Mt. Greylock students auditioned for Senior Districts this year, and five students were selected to perform. Juniors Aaron Kleiner and Matthew Kleiner earned first and third trumpet respectively in the Jazz Band. Freshman Hallie Anderson earned the second chair spot in the French horn section in the Concert Band. In the Orchestra, junior Mercer Greenwald will play third viola and junior Jesse Cohen will play third string bass. No Mt. Greylock students qualified to perform in the Chorus this year.

Mercer Greenwald received a recommendation to audition for the All-State Orchestra for scoring in the top fiftieth percentile. Aaron and Matthew Kleiner, who auditioned for both the Jazz Band and the Orchestra, earned recommendations to audition for the both All-State performances, and Hallie Anderson received a recommendation to audition for the All-State Concert Band.

Mt. Greylock Band teacher Lyndon Moors said, “A smaller group of students auditioned for Senior Districts this year. Several students who have qualified in the past chose not to audition again.”

Mt. Greylock’s Orchestra and Chorus teacher Ouisa Forhaltz observed,“The auditions were incredibly competitive this year. Each musician had to play eight to ten scales, perform a solo piece, and sight-read a second piece. After putting in immense amounts of time to prepare outside of school, our students did really well.”