Irvington Seniors Named To 2021 All-Eastern Honor Ensembles

IRVINGTON, NY — Irvington High School seniors Richard Ackerman and Chaeil (Robert) Yun have been selected as members of the prestigious National Association for Music Education’s 2021 All-Eastern Honor Ensembles.

Ackerman and Yun, who both play the viola, are among a group of 22 high school viola performers who were accepted into the highly competitive concert program. They will perform with a 165-piece orchestra during the concert program, which will take place virtually March 4-6. The program will also include performances by a band, mixed chorus, treble chorus and jazz ensemble. A total of 719 of the finest high school musicians out of 1,150 applicants from the East Coast were accepted into the program.

“This musical accomplishment can’t be overstated,” Irvington High School Orchestra Director Michael Calvaresi said. “I am immensely proud of both Richard and Robert, and excited for them to have this honor and recognition of their talent and scholarship.”

The students were selected on the basis of their placement in the state-level honors ensembles, for which they auditioned as sophomores. They both earned perfect scores on solo viola literature at the highest-graded level recognized by the New York State School Music Association. Ackerman performed Bruch’s “Romanze for Viola and Orchestra,” and Yun performed “Sonata for Viola and Piano” by Rebecca Clarke.

The All-Eastern Honor Ensembles virtual event will include several rehearsals with conductors and workshops with renowned professional musicians before each ensemble creates a final, recorded performance that will be premiered online on April 23.

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