By Michael Ganci, Syntax for the Bronxville School
Mar. 10, 2021: Bronxville High School senior Megan Barker has been selected as a member of the National Association for Music Education’s 2021 All-Eastern Honor Ensembles. She is among a group of the finest high school performers who were accepted into the highly competitive concert program.
Selected through a rigorous application process and on the basis of her placement in the state-level ensemble, Barker will perform with a 120-member treble chorus. A total of 719 out of 1,150 applicants from the East Coast were accepted into the program, which will also include performances by an orchestra, band, mixed chorus and jazz ensemble.
“Since meeting Megan in sixth grade, it has been an absolute joy watching her develop her considerable musical talent,” said chorus director Pamela Simpson, who described Barker as a pillar in the choral program. “Megan possesses a soprano voice that is absolutely beautiful and true.”
The All-Eastern Honor Ensembles virtual event included several rehearsals from March 4-6 with conductors and workshops with renowned professional musicians. Each ensemble will creates a final, recorded performance that will be premiered online on April 23.
Earlier in the school year, Barker was selected to perform with the All-State Treble Chorus at the 2020 New York State School Music Association Winter Conference for the second consecutive year. Barker was chosen for the prestigious honor based on the proficiency she demonstrated at the New York State School Music Association solo festival in 2019. She has participated in the Interlochen Center for the Arts Summer Arts Camp in 2019 and 2020, and is the recipient of first-place honors in the Crescendo International Competition 2019 and the Rita Kua Memorial Award in the 2021 Westchester Musicians Guild Young Artists Concert.
Pictured: Bronxville High School senior Megan Barker has been selected as a member of the National Association for Music Education’s 2021 All-Eastern Honor Ensembles.
Photo courtesy of the Bronxville Union Free School District
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