Schools
Farmington High School Musicians Receive State Awards
Two high school musicians received top state awards for their original music and are featured in a statewide gallery of student work.
The Hartford Foundation of Public Giving sponsors the Arts in Action: Young Artists' Vision of 2020. Two Farmington High School musicians, Akshitha Viswanathan and Grant Blaszko, were recognized for their original music which is displayed on the Arts in Action virtual gallery.
The foundation's focus for the Arts in Action this year centered around the disruption of life for teenagers. "We wanted to hear from them, so in September, we called on teens from across our state to submit creative work that captured their thoughts and emotions in this time of pandemic and protest." In addition to their award, winners participated in a special 30-minute conversation with actress Gabrielle Union, who is a creative leader hoping to inspire young musicians during the pandemic.
Akshitha Viswanathan is a senior who regularly creates her own music and attributes her skills to the public school music program. An All-Nationals and All-State vocalist, Akshitha taught herself guitar and piano, she is an active member of the choirs at FHS and learned to compose through Advanced Placement Music Theory class.
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Grant Blaszko is a junior and an active member of the band and jazz programs. He plays brass instruments in band, but also learned to play the piano and drums. In his piece, he layers different instruments to achieve a full ensemble sound.
Music Gallery including music of Farmington students listen to their work on the Hartford Foundation's Arts in Action website.