Upper School Select Combos, Middle School Jazz Band Earn MAJE Medals
On Saturday, April 30, the Rivers Select 1 and Select 2 Combos competed in the Massachusetts Association for Jazz Education’s Combo and Choir Competition alongside against 50 other schools from throughout the state. Each ensemble performed brilliantly and both brought back medals for their efforts.
The Select 1 Combo performed excellently and was awarded a Gold Medal. Alex Gomez ’17, Joe Nedder ’18, and Michael Manasseh ’19 earned Outstanding Musicianship awards for their performances alongside Uli Schwendener ’17, Alex Takoudes '19, and Lincoln Zaleski ’16.
The Select 2 Combo’s strong performance earned them a Silver Medal. Three members of the ensemble – Charlie Watkins ’16, Zach Zheng ’18, and Michael Manasseh – received Outstanding Musicianship awards for their excellent work on the day alongside Alex Takoudes who played bass in both Combos.
“The Judges were impressed by the maturity and excellence of the performances by all of the Rivers students,” said Combo Director Philippe Crettien.
The Select 1 Combo and all the other MAJE Gold Medal-winning ensembles are invited to perform at the Hatch Shell in Boston on May 15 at 3:00 p.m.
Additionally, the Middle School Jazz Band was on the competition trail last weekend at the MAJE Northeast District Junior Festival. Under the director of Bill Jones, the band brought home a Silver Medal.
The Middle School Jazz Band
Carter Ablon ’20, Max Bauriedel ’20, Oliver Boisvert ’22, Cam Dailey ’21, Brian Goldsmith ’22, David Gomez ’20, Collin Graf ’20, Sawyer Helzberg ’21, Michael Idzal ’21, Griff Jones ’22, Kevin Kamanitz ’21, Tommy Kantaros ’20, Aidan Keusch ’21, Michael McEachern ’20, Summer Pierson ’22, Will Randall ’21, Grant Regan-Loomis ’22, Walt Regan-Loomis ’22, Cameron Stathos ’21, Max Stein ’20, and Cole Zaleski ’21.
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