LBHS students to perform in All-State ensembles

Four Long Beach High School students have been selected to participate in All-State musical ensembles, a prestigious honor that resulted from their New York State School Music Association audition solos last spring.

Luc Esformes, Emma Gilroy, Alexandra Kapilian and Max Tunney will perform in instrumental and vocal groups featured in the Rochester-based NYSSMA Winter Conference this December.

Esformes is a junior and has been selected to the All-State Wind Ensemble for tenor sax. He is a six-time All-County performer and participates in the high school’s jazz band and pit orchestra. He is also a member of the National Honor Society and Tri-M Music Honor Society, and additionally plays varsity volleyball and runs track. Esformes is an International Baccalaureate Diploma Program candidate and takes Advanced Placement classes as well.

Gilroy, a senior, has been chosen for the All-State Mixed Chorus. She participated at the All-County level last year and has been involved with NYSSMA for the past four years. She is a member of the National Honor Society and Tri-M Music Honor Society and performed at Carnegie Hall with the chorus for the past two years. She also plays varsity soccer and takes both IB and AP classes.

Kapilian is also a senior, and this will be her second All-State performance. She is both a bassoonist and vocalist and has been selected to the All-State Symphony Orchestra, All-State Vocal Jazz and All-State Women’s Chorus ensembles. Kapilian played in the All-State Symphonic Band last year and is a five-time All-County participant. She is a National Honor Society member and the Tri-M Music Honor Society’s vice president for community service.

In addition to serving as a drum major for the marching band and contributing to the high school’s broadcast, “The Morning Show,” she is an IB Diploma Program candidate and takes both IB and AP classes. She spent several weeks during the summer fine-tuning her musical skills at the highly selective School of Orchestral Studies of the New York State Summer School of the Arts.

Tunney, also a senior with past All-State experience, will perform as a vocalist for the second consecutive year. He has been chosen for the All-State Mixed Chorus and All-State Vocal Jazz groups. He is a seven-time All-County performer and a member of the high school’s Title Tones vocal ensemble, National Honor Society and Tri-M Music Honor Society. Tunney also takes IB classes and has held prominent roles in school plays and musicals.

The 2015 NYSSMA Winter Conference will be held at the Rochester Convention Center from Dec. 3 through 6.