Hazleton Area High School Band Accolades

2024-2025

Fourteen HAHS band students have been selected to participate in the Luzerne County Band Festival on Tuesday, March 4th, 2025. The all-day festival will be held at Lake Lehman High School, and there was a concert at 7pm, open to the public to enjoy various band music from two bands, one featuring 7th-9th grade students and the other featuring 10-12 grade students. The band members were accepted by a committee of band directors based on recommendation of their abilities in the HAHS band. Each student has to meet the criteria of excellent participation and musical ability in order to be considered for the festival. They will practice and perform in the concert alongside students from various Luzerne County Middle/Junior and Senior High Schools, over 120 students in all. Students from left to right, back row: Isabella Collado, 9th grade Clarinet, Sophie Bolitsky, 11th grade Trumpet, Scarlett Agramonte, 12th grade Percussion, Yalinet Fernandez, 11th grade Clarinet, Yuren Martinez, 10th grade Baritone Saxophone, Dylan Mora, 10th grade Alto Saxophone, Christopher Agramonte, 9th grade Tuba. Front row: Camden Calarco, 11th grade French Horn, Jocelyn Rivera Bautista, 10th grade Trombone, Charlie Polly, 10th grade Trumpet, Iris Culley, 9th grade Flute, Gisselle Pena, 9th grade Piccolo, Kelanny Olivo, 12th grade Flute, and Jazlyn Espinal, 10th grade Clarinet.

Five HAHS band students attended the Pennsylvania Music Educators Region IV Band Festival at Williamsport Area High School on March 5–7, 2025. Each student auditioned in November 2024 in order to qualify for District Band and completed another round of elimination auditions to participate in the Region IV Festival. They will audition on the first evening to place for the PMEA All-State Festival. The band is comprised of 140 top high school musicians from Bradford, Snyder, Lycoming, Columbia, Union, Montour, Northumberland, Sullivan, Tioga, Susquehanna, Wayne, Wyoming, Lackawanna, and Luzerne Counties. Students from left to right are: Alex Harris, 12th grade Clarinet, Sophie Bolitsky, 11th grade Trumpet, Scarlett Agramonte, 12th grade Percussion, Jazlyn Searfoss, 11th grade Clarinet, and Kelanny Olivo, 12th grade Flute.

Two HAHS band students attended the Pennsylvania Music Educators Association Northeast Region Orchestra Festival at Wilson High School on February 20 and 21. Each student auditioned during the District 9 Orchestra festival in order to qualify in the top rankings to be allowed in the orchestra. They will audition for the All-State Festival in April and then rehearse all day to prepare for a public concert at 7 pm. Students attending are:Sophie Bolitsky, 11th grade Trumpet, and Scarlett Agramonte, 12th grade Percussion. 

Camden Calarco, 11th grade trumpet student from HAAH, attended the 33rd annual Susquehanna University Honors Band Festival in Selinsgrove, PA, on February 14-16, 2025. Calarco was accepted based on recommendation and experience, and auditioned against students from 200 other high schools throughout Eastern and Central Pennsylvania, Southern New York, and Maryland. The bands rehearsed for two days, culminating in a concert at the Weber Chapel Auditorium led by Dr. Eric Hinton, PhD HonFRBC, Director of Bands at Susquehanna University, on Sunday afternoon. Calarco is the first student from the Hazleton Area to attend this festival.

Eleven Hazleton Area High School students participated in the Marywood University Senior Wind Band Celebration on January 31-February 1, 2025. The band members were accepted based on recommendation of their abilities in the HAHS band and auditioned against students from 150 other high schools in Northeastern Pennsylvania and Southeastern New York for placement in one of two bands. The students rehearsed for two days to prepare for a Saturday night concert at the Sette LaVerghetta Performing Arts Center in Dunmore, PA. Students worked with Dr. Scott Corley, Associate Director of Bands at University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee, and Dr. David Hite, Director of Bands at Metropolitan State University of Denver, CO. Students from Left to Right (Back Row): Camden Calarco, Trumpet, 11th grade HAAH, Charlie Polly, Trumpet, 10th grade HAAH, Jocelyn Rivera Bautista, Trombone, 10th grade HAAS, Joseph Elena Lapaix, Percussion 10th grade HAAS. (Front Row) Gisselle Pena, Flute, 10th grade HAAH, Mecedes Pena, Bass Clarinet, 10th grade HAAS, Kelanny Olivo, Flute, 12th grade HAAH, Sophie Bolitsky, Trumpet, 11th grade HAAS, Priscilla Olivo, Euphonium, 10th grade HAAH, Yuren Martinez, Baritone Saxophone, 10th grade HAAS, and Scarlett Agramonte, Percussion, 12th grade HAAH. Agramonte also received the Conductors' Award for excellence during the festival (pictured below with Dr Hite).

Seven HAHS band students performed in the PMEA District 9 Band Festival January 22 - 23, 2025 at Mountain View Junior/Senior High School in Kingsley, PA. They rehearsed and put together a public concert along with 160 of the finest high school musicians selected by competitive audition from over 40 high schools in Northeast PA. The guest conductor for the festival was Dr. Jason Worzbyt from Indiana University of Pennsylvania. The festival host was Mr. Mason Stiver, Director of Bands at Mountain View High School. Students from left to right are: Kelanny Olivo, 12th grade Flute, Jazlyn Searfoss, 11th grade Clarinet, Sophie Bolitsky, 11th grade Trumpet, Gisselle Pena, 10th grade Flute, Scarlett Agramonte, 12th grade Percussion, Camden Calarco, 11th grade Trumpet, and Alex Harris, 12th grade Clarinet. Olivo, Searfoss, Bolitsky, Agramonte, and Harris will advance to the PMEA Region IV Band festival, which will be held at the Community Arts Center in Williamsport, PA, March 5 - 7. Additionally, Searfoss and Agramonte completed an additional at-large audition against students from other schools and were awarded the Eb Soprano Clarinet and Piano parts respectively.

Two HAHS band students attended the Pennsylvania Music Educators District 9 Orchestra Festival at Lackawanna Trail Junior/Senior High School in Factoryville, PA, January 8 - 10, 2025. Each student auditioned in November 2024, and needed to qualify in the top rankings to be allowed in the orchestra. They auditioned on the first evening to qualify for the Northeastern Region Orchestra, and then rehearsed all day Thursday and Friday to prepare for a public concert on Friday evening at 7pm. The festival host was Mr. Kevin Dikeman, Director of Bands at Lackawanna Trail High School. The orchestra is comprised of 140 top Northeast PA high school musicians from Susquehanna to Luzerne Counties. Students from left to right are: Sophie Bolitsky, 11th grade Trumpet, and Scarlett Agramonte, 12th grade Percussion. Both Sophie and Scarlett will advance to Northeastern Region Orchestra, which will be held at Wilson West Middle School in Sinking Spring, PA, on February 19 - 22.

Five HAHS 9th grade band students attended the Marywood Junior Band Celebration in December 2024. They were accepted based on their musical skills and achievements and practiced music for 2 days to prepare for a public concert which was held on Saturday, December 7th at the Sette LaVerghetta Center for Performing Arts at Marywood University, Scranton, PA. They studied among 180 other 7-9 grade students from Northeast Pennsylvania and Southern New York with nationally recognized conductors to further study band technique and performance. Students from left to right are: Lydia Pernick, Clarinet, Elvis De La Rosa, Alto Saxophone, Christopher Agramonte, Bassoon, Felicia Duran, Flute, and Isabella Collado, Clarinet.

Three HAHS Band members performed with the Freeland St. Ann's Band this past week at MMI Preperatory School in Freeland.
St. Ann's Band is in its 125th year and is under the direction of Mr. Joseph Rosato
Left to Right, Callum Dormer, 10th grade Clarinet, Alex Harris, 12th grade clarinet,
Joseph Rosato, St. Ann's Director and HAHS Band Director Emeritus, and Gisselle Pena, 10th grade Flute.