Boardman Wind Ensemble deemed one of Ohio’s best

By SHAIYLA HAKEEM

shakeem@vindy.com

After six years of consecutively submitting audition recordings to perform in a statewide convention featuring only the best musical groups, faith and persistence paid off.

“I knew that of all the ensembles in the state, we were worthy of being selected as one of the top ones,” said Boardman band director Thomas Ruggieri.

Boardman High School’s Wind Ensemble will be traveling to Cincinnati to perform at the Ohio Music Education Association’s Professional Development Convention.

Though the convention is used for professional development for music teachers and band directors, the convention will showcase the best musical talents that Ohio has to offer.

The convention is spread over a three-day timeframe and in the world of music, is considered a prestigious event. Musical groups are chosen through a blind audition, where the identity of the groups remained anonymous.

Forty groups were picked out of over 120 musical acts ranging from middle school through college levels. Of that 40, only three were high school concert bands.

Ruggieri says that when he opened the acceptance letter, he has at home in the kitchen with his wife and kids. Once the envelope seal was broken, a teary eyed Ruggieri was overcome with emotion.

“Oh, I was in tears,” Ruggieri says, “Just being selected is probably one of the biggest honors of this group,”

Comprised of the concert band’s top players, the Wind Ensemble totals 63 members, a small percentage of 278-member Spartan Marching Band.

The band will head to Cincinnati on the morning of Jan. 29 to allot time for a trip to the Polaris Mall in Columbus, a tour of the Ohio Statehouse.

Boardman High School senior Lauren DiCola says that she is really excited about the convention.

“I’m really excited. It’s a big deal and a big honor,” DiCola says. “It’s a little nerve racking, but it should be fun.”

The Boardman Wind Ensemble is scheduled to perform at the Millennium Hotel of Cincinnati in the Grand Ballroom at 11 a.m. on Jan. 30. They are scheduled to return back to Boardman following their performance.