Chatham junior Paxton Brownell and senior Aidan Brennan's low voices have brought them to high places. The two bass vocalists, who perform in CHS' choral program, recently learned they have been selected for the NYS School Music Association's (NYSSMA) Conference All-State, an honorary performance opportunity reserved for only the best student musicians in our state. Aidan and Paxton will travel to the prestigious Easton School of Music in Rochester, where from December 5-8 they will rehearse with the All-State Chorus and perform at the storied Eastman Theater.
Selection for All-State ensembles is highly competitive. Of the approximately seven-thousand students who audition each year, only about 600 make the cut.
Aiden recalls that initially, “I wasn't even considering trying out for All-State. In my head I was horrible, but she (CHS choral teacher Samantha McShane) talked me into it. She built up my confidence and inspired me.”
Aidan and Paxton put in countless hours of rehearsal to learn and flawlessly perform Level-6 works (the highest level of difficulty), which they sang in solo performances before a panel of judges at the 2024 NYSSMA Solo & Small Ensemble Festival in May. Both earned scores of 100 from the judges, but even with perfect scores, selection into All-State was not guaranteed. Aidan and Paxton had to wait until late summer to learn if they would be going.
When Paxton’s cell phone rang in August and he saw that it was Mrs. McShane calling, he knew what that meant even before answering. “It was awesome, it felt like the work we put in really had paid off,” he said.
Both Aidan and Paxton have been active in our chorus program since they were fourth graders at MED. They are regulars in school plays and musicals, are repeatedly picked for NYSSMA’s All-County and Area All-State regional festivals, and have even dabbled in professional theater at the local Mac-Haydn Theatre. They also sing in Chatham High School’s tenor and bass acapella group, The McDozen.
The pair credit Mrs. McShane for their making it to All-State. As Paxton explained, “even on the days when things aren’t going well, when you can’t seem to get a piece of music right, she is going to work through it with you. She’s always going to support you.”
Please join us in congratulating Paxton and Aidan (and Mrs. McShane) on this important accomplishment!