SHS musician headed to All-State Festival

The Sahuarita Sun

For the first time in six years, Sahuarita High School will be represented at the prestigious All-State Festival this spring thanks to the musical skills and dedication of sophomore Brianna Nay.

Four SHS music students auditioned March 14 for the festival at Gilbert High School, and 16-year-old Nay, who plays the French horn, made the cut.

Between 30 and 40 high school horn players from across Arizona were among those auditioning, and Nay was one of 13 accepted. Eight of them, including Nay, will play in the All-State band, with the other five in the orchestra.

Overall, the festival will have about 90 student musicians in the band, 100 in the orchestra and another 100 in the choir, SHS band instructor Christine Garcia said.

After auditioning last year to get an idea of what it was like, Nay said she found this year’s event to be “very nerve-racking.” She was one of the younger musicians trying out, and had high school seniors auditioning before and after her.

In a blind judging, each student was required to play scales, three etudes and sight read music for two judges.

“I worked on it for a couple months,” Nay said.

Making it into the festival, set for April 23-25 at the University of Arizona, is exciting for her and should help pave the way for future opportunities, she says.

“Colleges will look at it on my resume,” said Nay, who hopes to study music at Brigham Young University after she graduates. “The horn professor there is quite talented,” she said.

Nay began piano lessons in third grade, took up the trumpet in fourth grade, and has been playing French horn for two and half years.

She calls the French horn a beautiful instrument that often is heard in musical scores in the movie industry.

The two-and-a-half-day festival will conclude April 25, with a public concert, where Nay’s family will be in the audience.

Nay expects to receive this week the music the All-State band members will play and to practice every day for 90 minutes to two hours.

“You have to practice a lot. That’s what it takes,” says Nay, who also plays in the SHS concert band, jazz band and marching band. In addition, she takes private music lessons from Sahuarita music teacher Mary Kuepper and is a member of the Tucson Philharmonia Youth Orchestra, which meets Saturdays for three hours.

Garcia says Nay “is very determined and has worked endless hours to prepare her All-State material. She spent weeks in the practice rooms every day without failure. I wish more students would have her determination and drive.”

For her part, Nay is “looking forward to a really great experience.”

kwalenga@gvnews.com | 547-9739