Prestigious conductors to direct NYSSMA Music Festival hosted by Akron Central

Musicians from fifty-two school districts as well as 130 teachers representing the four counties of Western New York will descend upon Akron Central School as it once again hosts the 2022 New York State School Music Association’s (NYSSMA) Junior High Area All State Music Festival on November 4th and 5th.  The concerts will be held on Saturday, November 5, at 1:00 p.m. and 3:30 p.m. in the Edward Allen Auditorium at Akron Schools, 47 Bloomingdale Avenue, Akron.

Guest conductors are: Band, Dr. Ricky Fleming, Associate Professor of Music and Director of Bands at Buffalo State College; SATB Chorus, Dr. Gary M. Lee, Adjunct Professor and Conductor at State University of New York at Fredonia; Jazz, Mr. Tim Savage, Adjunct Professor at St. Lawrence University/SUNY Potsdam and retired music teacher; and String Orchestra, Dr. Richard S. Webb, Associate Professor of Music at State University of New York at Fredonia.

Akron participants include students of Mrs. Meghen Pitts, Mrs. Debra Komosinski, Mr. Brendon Bardo and Mrs. Courtney Sanville.  Performing from Akron in the Band are Gabrielle Dispenza on trumpet, Whitley Koopman on percussion, and Emma Leonard on clarinet.  Ava Lombard and Dylan Whiting-Popielski will play violin in the String Orchestra.

The festival will take place over two days and end with two concerts scheduled on Saturday, November 5th as follows:  Jazz Band and Concert Band will perform at 1:00 p.m. and the String Orchestra and SATB Chorus will perform at 3:30 p.m. in Akron’s Edward Allen Auditorium.  Tickets are six dollars and available at the door.

Over 1000 student musicians in grades seven through nine from Erie, Niagara, Chautauqua and Allegany counties auditioned and 600 were selected to participate.  The students are representative of 130 teachers within the fifty-two participating school districts including Akron, Alden, Amherst, Barker, Bemus Point, Brocton, Buffalo, Chautauqua Lake, Cheektowaga, Christian Central Academy, Clarence, Cleveland Hill, Depew, Dunkirk, East Aurora, Eden, Ellicottville, Elmwood Franklin School, Forestville, Fredonia, Frewsburg, Frontier, Grand Island, Hamburg, Iroquois, Kenmore-Tonawanda, Lake Shore, Lancaster, Lewiston Porter, Lockport, Mount St. Mary Academy, Nardin Academy, Newfane, Niagara Wheatfield, Nichols, North Collins, North Tonawanda, Orchard Park, Panama, Pioneer, Portville, Royalton-Hartland, Sacred Heart, Sherman, Silver Creek, Southwestern, Starpoint, Sweet Home, West Seneca, Westfield, Williamsville, and Wilson.

For additional information about this event, please contact Mr. Brendon Bardo, Music Director at Akron Central, (716) 542-5030, ext. 5102