Northwest Catholic Musician Selected for National Concert Band

Northwest Catholic junior Justin Drisdelle of Rocky Hill has been selected as a member of the 2013 NAfME All-National Honor Concert Band sponsored by the National Association for Music Education (NAfME). Drisdelle, a trumpet player, 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 on October 30, 2013 in Nashville, Tennessee.

“Justin has worked diligently and is certainly deserving of this honor,” says Daniel Luddy ’03, Northwest Catholic’s Director of Instrumental Music. “It will be a unique opportunity to meet, rehearse, and perform with some of the top high school musicians in the country, and I know that Justin is up to the challenges and demands of the literature to be performed.”

Drisdelle, who has been playing trumpet since he joined the Future Musicians program in 4th grade at Corpus Christi School in Wethersfield, is excited for the opportunity for play in the All-National Honor Concert Band. “It’s going to be a great experience,” he said. “I’m looking forward to playing with more experienced musicians, playing challenging music at almost a professional level. I’m excited for the challenge.”

The NAfME All-National Honors Ensembles, consisting of a concert band, symphony orchestra, mixed chorus, and jazz ensemble, are organized by members of the National Association for Music Education. The concert band and symphony orchestra will each have approximately 150 instrumentalists, the jazz ensemble will have 20 instrumentalists, and the mixed chorus will have approximately 350 vocalists. Eligible students have qualified for their state-level honor ensemble program and competed against top students for a spot in these national honor ensembles. The 2013 NAfME All-National Honors Ensembles will perform for an audience of thousands on October 30, 2013 at the Gaylord Opryland Hotel, in Nashville, TN.

Since 1961, Northwest Catholic’s mission has been to educate the whole person: mind, body, spirit, and soul. Enrollment for the Class of ’18 is now under way, and prospective students are invited to the Open House at Northwest Catholic on November 3, 2013. For more information, contact Andrew Selig (860-236-4221, x140 or aselig@nwcath.org).