By Reinesse Wong
Irvington seniors Richard Ackerman and Robert Yun have been accepted as members of the prestigious All-Eastern Ensemble. This Ensemble includes top students from 13 states on the east coast.
Ackerman and Yun will play among 22 violists in the concert program of 165 players. The All-Eastern Ensemble, as a total of 719 out of 1,150 applicants including band, orchestra, and chorus were accepted. They were accepted from NYSSMA scores taken in sophomore year, since COVID-19 cancelled NYSSMA competitions in March 2020. NYSSMA is an important competition and foundation for those seeking entrance into national level ensembles such as this.
Yun and Ackerman have expressed their excitement for playing at All Eastern and representing Irvington.
“We feel very honored to be able to represent the school on the All Eastern Stage. We are very happy that despite the current hardships and restrictions, we were able to walk forward in our musical journey,” they said in a joint statement.
Regretfully, due to COVID-19 restrictions, all rehearsals and concerts will be held virtually. This has not dimmed the excitement Yun and Ackerman feel about their upcoming rehearsals:
“Even though our rehearsals and recordings will all be held online, we are still excited to meet other great performers from the east coast and share musical ideas with them”
