Eight Oswego High School Students Earn NYSSMA All-State Honors

Eight Oswego High School students have been selected to receive All-State honors from the New York State School Music Association (NYSSMA), a distinction awarded to some of New York’s top high school musicians.

The students will represent the Oswego City School District at the NYSSMA 89th Annual Winter Conference, scheduled for Dec. 4–7 at the Eastman School of Music at the University of Rochester.

This year’s honorees representing OHS are: Grant Romanowski (Alternate, Snare Drum), Leonard Lin (Alternate, Bassoon), Xavier Vasquez (Alternate, Tuba), Romello Velazquez (Alternate, Tenor 2), Nathan Hibbert (Symphonic Band, Clarinet), Christopher Pineda (Symphonic Band, Flute), Noah Whalen (Alternate, Bass 1) and Leah Norton (Mixed Chorus, Alto 2).

Many of these students will be making their NYSSMA debut, but for musicians Lin, Norton, Vasquez and Velazquez, this marks their second year earning All-State recognition, reflecting their continued excellence and dedication to music.

"Given this high level of performance combined with a top recommendation for their adjudicator, these students and their families should be very proud of this accomplishment,” said Band Director Robert Dumas. “Thousands of students apply for All-State every year from all over NYS and only the very best are selected. This is a huge accomplishment!"

During the Winter Conference, the selected students will participate in rehearsals, workshops, and master classes before presenting concerts at the Eastman Theatre. The event offers opportunities for collaboration and artistic growth while highlighting the importance of music education in schools.

The Oswego City School District congratulates its All-State honorees for their hard work and achievement and looks forward to their performances at the Winter Conference in December.