Six Cranbrook Students Selected to Prestigious All-State Band, Orchestra

Six Cranbrook Schools students – two from the Upper School program and five from the Middle School program – have been selected to the Michigan School Band & Orchestra Association (MSBOA) All-State Band or Orchestra.

Upper School students Caleb Goldstein and Lewen Feng were selected for the MSBOA High School All-State Band.

Cranbrook’s four middle school students in the All-State Middle School Band and All-State Middle School Orchestra are Zahiya Khan, Keara Schultz, Jaiden Swami, and Yuhan Zhu for Band, and Zubin Namei for String Orchestra.

Established in 2005, the MSBOA All-State program is highly competitive, and this year saw more than 2,800 auditions statewide. An average of some 2,500 students audition each year for the 400 seats in five ensembles. Five ensembles are selected from recorded auditions: a Middle School String Orchestra, a Middle School Band, a High School Full Orchestra, a High School Band, and a High School Jazz Ensemble.

Students must prepare an announced etude, a series of scales, and sight-read during each 10-minute recorded audition. Each audition is submitted using only an identification number with no reference to the student or school. The auditions are evaluated by an adjudicator and placed in order. The required number of instruments is selected to fill each section.

In January the students assembled for two and a half days of rehearsal with nationally recognized conductors. A concert is held on the Saturday of the Michigan Music Conference. This year’s guest conductor for the High School All-State Band was Dr. Kenneth Thompson, Dr. Andrew Boysen Jr. conducted the MS All-State Band and Dr. Frank Diaz conducted the MS All-State String Orchestra.

Congratulations to all the students honored.