Congratulations to senior Mika Misawa who was selected into the National Association for Music Education 2021 All-Eastern Honors Orchestra. Mika is one of only 165 high school orchestral musicians from Connecticut, Delaware, Massachusetts, Maine, Maryland, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and Vermont to be accepted into the prestigious event.

Mika and fellow All-Eastern students in the orchestra, symphonic band, mixed chorus, treble chorus and jazz ensemble will participate in a virtual weekend experience in early March that will include keynote speakers, master classes with professional musicians and rehearsals with their conductors. The event will also offer opportunities for students to learn and network with representatives from various colleges and universities and participate in mock auditions.

This nontraditional and unique experience will be different from the in-person rehearsals and concert that have, in the past, coincided with NAfME’s Eastern Division biennial conference. This year, students will individually record their performance from home led by a virtual performance of their conductor. The recordings will be edited together to produce a virtual ensemble for the concert performance, slated for April 23 at 8:30 p.m. at the 57th NAfME Eastern Division Virtual In-Service Conference.