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Gage earns trip to state
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Neighbors | Submitted.Brendan Gage of Poland Seminary High School competed Feb. 7, in the state band competition at the Ohio Music Educators Convention in Columbus.
By TIM CLEVELAND
Over the six years Brendan Gage has been in band, the 15-year-old sophomore at Poland Seminary High School has become very skilled at playing the French horn.
He displayed his talents for his biggest audience yet, as he was selected for the All-State Orchestra and performed at the Ohio Music Education Association State Conference in Columbus, Feb. 5-9. Rehearsals began that Wednesday with the concert on Friday. He was the first Poland Seminary student to be selected in four years.
“I just love to make music,” Gage said. “I enjoy it. It brings happiness to the people around me.
“I’m really happy to be able to accomplish something like that. There’s not a lot of people who get to go to state. I’m glad to be a part of something that big.”
To be considered for selection, Gage had to prepare a solo and make a recording.
He then had to send the recording in and the Ohio Music Education Association picked who made the best submissions. Gage was one of just 200 students from around the state to be selected.
Gage is the youngest musician from Poland Seminary to ever be selected to an All-State ensemble. Gage is the son of Dr. Stephen and Stephanie Gage and he plays French horn in the Poland Seminary wind ensemble, mellophone in the marching band, piano in the school’s Jazz Ensemble and is a member of the Poland Players, where he can be seen singing and acting in this spring’s production of Mame.
“It’s an adventure and something new,” Gage said of the trip to Columbus. “It’s something I looked forward to.”
Poland Seminary’s band director is Nick Olesko, in his 13th year in that position at the school. He said the concert was the culmination of Gage’s hard work.
“The amount of work he had to put in shows a lot of work and dedication,” Olesko said. “To be selected to an All-State group, especially as a sophomore, is a huge accomplishment.
“I’ve been teaching Brendan since the seventh grade. Even as a seventh-grader, he showed talent as a student that you could tell he would be a great musician.”
Gage said he is keeping his options open for beyond high school.
“I might consider playing music in college and going on to professional music,” he said. “It’s going to remain a part of my life no matter what I pursue.”