New England Music Festival Association, Inc.

February 2026 | Volume XC, No. 2

99th NEMFA Concert Festival Quick Links, March 19-21, 2026:

Ordering Tickets Link: 2026 Tickets Please note: Concert Tickets are $20.00 per person for each concert, but people may purchase a Pass to attend BOTH concerts for $30.00 per person.
Ordering T-Shirts Link:2026 T-Shirts
Headquarters Hotel Reservation Info: 2026 Headquarters Hotel
Concert Festival Handbook Link:
Gilford area Restaurants: 2026 Gilford Restaurants
Gilford area Grab and Go Lunch: 2026 Gilford Lunch
Professional Development: PD with Eddie Wilkin

2026 NEMFA Concert Festival Schedule

Rehearsal/Concerts Schedule

99th NEW ENGLAND MUSIC FESTIVAL, March 19-21, 2026

GILFORD HIGH SCHOOL,

Gilford, New Hampshire

THURSDAY, MARCH 19, 2026

11:30AM - 2:00PM - Student and Director/Supervisor Arrival & Registration: --- Auditorium Lobby, Gilford High School. (Directors only)

Parking: -- Gilford High School parking lot.

11:30AM - 9:00PM --- Directors' Lounge --- Little Theatre/Rm. 112

11:30AM – CHORAL REHEARINGS:

11:30AM – Session 1: Schools within a 2 hour drive

12:10Noon – Session 2: Schools within a 3 hour drive

12:50PM – Session 3: Schools further than a 3 hour drive

1:00pm – CHORAL REMEDIAL SESSION – Various Locations

1:00PM - 9:30PM T-shirt Sales, Concert Ticket Sales, Rec. Sales

2:00PM-2:30PM --- GENERAL MEETING –Auditorium All Students and Directors/Supervisors

11:30AM-9:00PM --- Directors Lounge – Little Theatre/Rm. 112 3:00PM - Directors' Meet and Greet

Rehearsals:

2:30PM-5:00PM – Jazz Ensemble – Band Room

2:30PM-5:00PM --- Band – HS Gym

2:30PM-5:00PM --- Orchestra – MS Library

2:45PM-3:30PM --- String Re-Auditions –

2:15PM-5:45PM --- Chorus – Auditorium

Dinner – HS & MS Cafeteria (all groups)

5:00PM-5:45PM –- Jazz Ensemble

5:00PM-5:45PM --- Band

5:00PM-5:45PM --- Orchestra

5:45PM-6:30PM --- Chorus

Evening Rehearsals

5:45PM-9:00PM --- Jazz Ensemble – Band Rm

5:45PM-9:00PM --- Band – HS Gym

5:45PM-9:00PM --- Orchestra – MS Library

6:30PM-9:00PM --- Chorus – Auditorium

7:15PM-9:00PM --- Directors Forum – Little Theatre/Rm. 112

9:00PM --- All Groups Dismissed

Housed students load buses to Hotel from GHS - Outside High School Bus Loop

9:30PM --- Directors Hospitality – The Margate Resort, Laconia

11:00PM --- Curfew - Students to bed

FRIDAY, MARCH 20, 2026

9:00AM --- Students load buses at hotel(s) (

9:30AM --- Students arrive - Report to Auditorium

Morning Rehearsals:

9:30AM-12:30AM --- Jazz Ensemble – Band Rm

9:30AM-12:30PM --- Orchestra – MS Library

9:30AM-12:30PM --- Band – HS Gym

9:30AM-1:15PM --- Chorus–Auditorium

9:00AM --- NEMFA Past Presidents Mtg. – Margate Hotel

11:00AM --- NEMFA Executive Board –Gilford High School, HS Library/Rm. 314

Lunch – – HS & MS Cafeteria (all groups)

12:30PM-1:15PM – Jazz Ensemble

12:30PM-1:15PM --- Orchestra

12:30PM-1:15PM --- Band

1:15PM-2:00PM --- SATB Chorus

Afternoon Rehearsals:

1:15-5:30PM --- Jazz Ensemble – Band Rm

1:15PM-5:30PM --- Orchestra – MS Library

1:15PM-5:30PM --- Band – HS Gym

2:00PM-6:15PM --- Chorus – Auditorium

2:30PM --- NEMFA Annual Meeting –Little Theatre/Rm. 112

3:30PM --- So you want to host? -- Little Theatre/Rm. 112

FRIDAY, MARCH 14, 2025 (cont'd.)

Dinner – Cafeteria (all groups)

5:30PM-6:15PM --- Orchestra

5:30PM-6:15PM – Jazz Ensemble

5:30PM-6:15PM --- Band

6:15PM-7:00PM --- Chorus

5:30PM – 6:30PM – SOLOIST students move to Auditorium for Solo rehearsals.

7:00PM – 8:30PM – SOLO/ENSEMBLE and JAZZ CONCERT – Auditorium. Concert featuring SOLOISTS and JAZZ ENSEMBLE for all students followed by a performance by another ensemble. 1 Director from each school must sign up for a 30 minute chaperone shift for the concert.

8:45PM – CONCERT ENDS. Load buses for Hotels.

9:00PM --- Directors Dessert Reception – The Margate Resort, Mariah Rm., Laconia

11:00PM - Curfew - Students to bed

SATURDAY, MARCH 21, 2026

ORCHESTRA SCHEDULE:

8:00AM --- Orchestra loads buses from Hotel

8:30AM-11:30AM --- ORCHESTRA rehearsal in MS Library

11:30AM-12:30PM --- ORCHESTRA DRESS REHEARSAL IN AUDITORIUM

12:30PM-1:15PM --- ORCHESTRA LUNCH in CAFETERIA

1:15PM-1:30PM --- ORCHESTRA changes into CONCERT ATTIRE

1:30PM-2:00PM --- ORCHESTRA warm-ups

1:30PM --- House Opens

2:00PM --- CONCERT #1 BEGINS IN AUDITORIUM with ORCHESTRA

BAND SCHEDULE:

8:00AM --- Band loads buses from Hotel

8:30AM-10:00AM --- BAND REHEARSAL IN HS Gym

10:00AM-11:00AM --- BAND DRESS REHEARSAL IN AUDITORIUM

11:00AM-12:00PM --- BAND rehearsal in HS Gym

12:00PM-12:45PM --- BAND LUNCH in CAFETERIA

12:45PM-1:15PM --- BAND changes into CONCERT ATTIRE

1:15PM-2:00PM --- BAND warm-up in HS Gym

2:00PM --- BAND watches ORCHESTRA CONCERT

2:45PM --- BAND CONCERT.

3:30PM --- CONCERT #1 ENDS

CHORUS SCHEDULE:

8:00AM --- Chorus loads buses from Hotel

8:30AM-9:30AM --- CHORUS DRESS REHEARSAL in AUDITORIUM

9:30AM-1:00PM --- CHORUS REHEARSAL in MS Gym

1:00PM-1:45PM --- CHORUS LUNCH in CAFETERIA

1:45PM --- CHORUS changes into CONCERT ATTIRE

2:00PM --- CHORUS watches ORCHESTRA and BAND CONCERT in AUDITORIUM

3:30PM --- CHORUS WARM-UPS in MS Gym

4:30PM --- CONCERT #2 BEGINS in AUDITORIUM

DIRECTORS ARE REMINDED THAT THEY SHOULD PLEASE SEND REGISTRATION AND DUES CHECKS TO:

NEW ENGLAND MUSIC FESTIVAL ASSOCIATION, INC.

c/o WILLIAM SITTARD

PO BOX 755

OAK BLUFFS, MA 02557-0755

2025-26 NEMFA Concert Festival News

NEMFA Concert Festival Dress Code

The NEMFA Executive Board recently voted on a revision to the Dress Code for all NEMFA Concert Ensemble as follows:

Dress code - The dress code for all ensembles in performance will be: Dark suit (black preferred, black tuxedos are also acceptable) with a tie, and a collared white shirt, OR black sleeve top (no bare midriffs, shoulders or low neckline) and a solid black bottom (below the knees black skirt or black dress pants), OR a black long gown/dress that goes below the knees. Dark shoes and dark socks or hose. No sport shoes or sandals allowed. All concert dress will be in conservative good taste.

A Note from Dr. Eddie Wilkin re: A Professional Development Opportunity at 2026 NEMFA Concert Festival

This year, I am able to offer a PD opportunity for college credits (3 Graduate Credits). I know the challenge becomes increasingly difficult for educators to attend the festival when there is "no" PD attached or when it is "not" a PD event.

Blueprints for Creativity: Building Composing & Improv into Your Music Program Course Dates: March 15 - April 25, 2026

APPROVED! from Castleton University for 3 Graduate Credits.

Course Description:

This graduate course invites music teachers to step beyond the concert and into the creative studio, positioning students as composers, improvisers, and songwriters in every classroom setting. Participants will explore practical approaches to integrating composition, improvisation, and songwriting into band, choir, orchestra, and general music programs, with or without advanced technology. Through readings, listening, and hands-on music-making, teachers will design and test strategies for nurturing student voice, risk-taking, and musical identity. Emphasis is placed on low-floor/high-ceiling tasks, inclusive and culturally responsive practices, and authentic assessment that values process as much as product. By the end of the course, participants will leave with a portfolio of ready-to-implement lesson sequences, projects, and rubrics tailored to their own teaching context, along with a renewed vision of their role as facilitators and co-creators of music with their students.

Course Goals:

Introduce key frameworks and research on student composition, improvisation, and songwriting in K–12 music education.
Engage participants in hands-on creative music-making (composing, improvising, and songwriting) that mirrors the experiences they will design for their students.
Apply UDL and culturally responsive practices to design creative tasks that honor diverse learner profiles, identities, and musical backgrounds.
Explore and experiment with practical tools and technologies—from acoustic strategies to DAWs and mobile apps—that support student creativity in a variety of teaching contexts.
Develop and refine usable teaching materials and assessments, including prompts, lesson plans, project outlines, and rubrics that embed creativity into existing music programs.

Course Objectives:

Upon completing this course, you will be able to:

Analyze and articulate a personal philosophy of the music teacher as facilitator, producer, and co-creator, supported by current research and course texts.
Design and justify multi-lesson sequences or projects that embed composition, improvisation, and/or songwriting into their existing band, choir, orchestra, or general music programs.
Apply principles of Universal Design for Learning (UDL) and culturally responsive pedagogy to adapt or redesign lessons so that creative work is accessible, identity-affirming, and empowering for diverse learners.
Select, implement, and evaluate both acoustic and digital tools (such as DAWs and mobile apps) that support student composing, improvising, and songwriting in their own teaching contexts.
Finally, create and pilot an assessment system—including at least one rubric, one student reflection tool, and one peer feedback structure—that values creative process, risk-taking, and growth alongside musical products.

Assignments: Assessment is based on these major projects:

Songwriting Mini-Project Plan – Design a 2–5 class-period songwriting project for your own teaching context.
Tech Integration Mini-Project – Create a creative task using at least one digital tool to support student composing/improvising/songwriting.
Creative Unit Plan – Develop a multi-lesson unit that embeds composition, improvisation, and/or songwriting with UDL and tech.
Assessment Toolkit & Reflective Essay – Submit an assessment toolkit plus a 3–4 page reflective essay linking your philosophy to course readings and practice.

Grading:

Weekly Discussions – 15% of final grade
Creative Skill Labs / Participation – 10%
Short Written & Design Assignments (Week 1 Reflection; Micro-Creativity Lesson; Improvisation Activity Design) – 15%
Songwriting Mini-Project Plan – 15%
Tech Integration Mini-Project – 15%
Creative Unit Plan (Final Project) – 15%
Assessment Toolkit & Reflective Essay (Final Project) – 15%

Who Should Take This Course:

This course is designed for music educators, graduate students, and anyone passionate about exploring the intersection of technology and music education. No prior experience with AI is required.

Professional Development Options:

3 Graduate Credits: Credits issued from Castleton University.
Certificate of Attendance: For those seeking professional development without graduate credit.
1-Credit Independent Study: For those interested in further exploration (pending approval from Castleton).

Course Cost for 3 Credits: $2,000 (includes all course materials).

(Please reach out if the full cost is not covered by your school!)

I hope all is well - please reach out if you have any questions!!!

Keep Smiling,

Dr. Eddie Wilkin (reach Eddie by email here)

2026 NEMFA Soloists Performances

Solo & Ensemble Performance Nomination and Selection

December 2025

This year, during the two New England Solo & Ensemble Festivals, adjudicators evaluated the more than 1100 participants. At the conclusion of those two events, the festival’s adjudicators were given the opportunity to nominate one (and only one) of the performances they heard and evaluated. They were asked to select a truly outstanding musical performance and not necessarily the highest rated student. Those nominations were then reviewed by the New England Executive Board and six of them were selected to perform in the Friday evening concert at the March 2026 New England Concert Festival, this year hosted by Gilford High School (NH).

The students nominated this year were (but not performing in the concert in March):

Agastya Charkabarti, violin, Upper Valley Music Center (NH)

Ella Gagliarducci, soprano, Minnechaug Regional High School (MA)

Carter Hudson, bass, Mount Anthony Union High School (VT)

Jonathan Kafumbe, jazz trumpet, Middlebury Union High School (VT) Alexa Masin,soprano, Glastonbury High School (CT)

Cedric Minier, bass clarinet, Parent - Scollins (VT)

Hawkley Mitchell, tuba, Vermont Youth Orchestra (VT)

IanSun, cello, Parent - Chu (CT)

Aiden Zhang, piano, Daniel Hand High School (CT)

Charlotte Parker, Sadie Heiser and Kajsia Wright, vocal ensemble (SSA), Valley Regional High School (CT)

And the students selected to perform in the Friday concert are:

Julia Baron, flute, South Windsor High School (CT)

JasonCao, violin, E.O. Smith High School (CT)

Des Ku, bari sax, Essex High School (VT)

Maven Renshaw, timpani, Mount Mansfield Union High School (VT)

Kajsia Wright, alto, Valley Regional High School (CT)

Madison LaVallee, Lilyanne Mercier, Giulia Musumeci, Sadie Wood, vocal ensemble (SSAA), The Woodstock Academy (CT)

Congratulations to all of these students and their sponsors, and to all of our Solo & Ensemble participating student-musicians and their supporters.

More information on the March concert will be sent to the selected students’ sponsors soon.

Orchestra Report

Anthony Brackett

NEMFA Orchestra Manager

ambclarinet@gmail.com

March 2026 Orchestra Conductor

Dear NEMFA Members,

The New England Music Festival Association is proud to announce that Francisco Noya, the music director of the Boston Civic Symphony will serve as the conductor of the 2026 NEMFA Orchestra. He also holds the distinction of being a member of the conducting faculty at the Berklee College of Music. Noya's professional journey began in Venezuela as conductor of the Youth Orchestra of Valencia, one of the original ensembles of El Sistema. He has also been the music director of the Empire State Youth Orchestra, leading the ensemble on European tours and at renowned venues such as Carnegie Hall and Tanglewood.

To read Mr. Noya's full bio, please click here.

The program for the 2026 Orchestra is as follows:

Fanfare for the Common Man - Aaron Copland (1900-1990)

Symphonic Sketches - George Whitefield Chadwick (1854-1931)

I - Jubilee

Firebird Suite - Igor Stravinsky (1882-1971)

V - Infernal Dance

VI - Berceuse

VII – Finale

Anthony Brackett is the Orchestra Manager.

Band Report

Angelica Jackson, Kevin Lam

NEMFA Band Managers

ajackson@swindsor.k12.ct.us

KLam@reg4.k12.ct.us

March 2026 Band Conductor

Hello NEMFA community!

We are looking forward to the 2026 NEMFA Concert Festival. The band will be conducted by Dr. Mike Lebrias. Dr. Lebrias is a conductor, music educator, & content creator residing in Austin, Texas. He currently serves as an Assistant Director of Bands and Director of Creative Media for the University of Texas Bands department, where he co-teaches the Longhorn Band & Longhorn Pep Band, conducts the Austin Youth Wind Ensemble, and oversees content creation efforts for the department of bands.

To read Dr. Lebrias' full bio, please click here.

The program for the 2026 Band is as follows:

Slava! - Leonard Bernstein, trans. Grundman (1918-1990)

Unidad En Ritmo - Michele Fernandez (2023)

Forward/Still - Omar Thomas (1984- )

Variations on America - Charles Ives, trans. Shuman/Rhoads (1874-1954)

We are looking forward to serving as the NEMFA Band Managers and to seeing you at the Concert Festival in March!

Sincerely,

Angelica Jackson and Kevin Lam

Chorus Report

Molly Desrochers

NEMFA Chorus Manager

chorusmanager@nemfa.org

mclark@huusd.org

March 2026 Chorus Conductor

Dear NEMFA Members,

We are happy to report that Dr. Diana V. Sáez will be the conductor of the 2026 NEMFA Chorus. Dr. Sáez is the Director of Choral Activities at Towson University in Baltimore, Maryland, directing the University Chorale, Women’s Choir, and Choral Society. Prior to this appointment, Dr. Sáez served as Visiting Choir Director at Knox College in Galesburg, Illinois and Visiting Choir Conductor at McDaniel College in Westminster, Maryland. Dr. Sáez also directed the Catholic University Women’s Choir for six years and served as artistic director of the World Bank-IMF Chorus for sixteen years.

For information about Dr. Sáez, please click here .

The program for the 2026 Chorus is as follows:

The Lake of Innisfree-Eleanor Daley (1955-) (SSA)

Weep No More – David Childs (1969- ) (TTBB)

Hallelujah from Mount of Olives – Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827). (SATB)

Measure Me Sky - Elaine Hagenberg (1979- ). (SATB)

Canto ‘e Libertad – Miriam Suzzertte Ortiz & Diana V. Sáez (2023) (SATB)

Daniel, Daniel Servant of the Lord - Undine S. Moore (1904-1989) (SATB a cappella)

We look forward to another great year of music making with the 2026 NEMFA Chorus!

Best,

Molly Desrochers

Jazz Ensemble Report

Wayne Splettstoeszer

NEMFA Jazz Ensemble Manager

jazzbandmanager@nemfa.org

March 2026 Jazz Ensemble Conductor

Dear NEMFA Members,

The New England Music Festival Association is proud to present the third NEMFA Jazz Ensemble, which will be conducted by Dr. Colleen Clark. Dr. Clark comes to us as a Jazz faculty member of the University of South Carolina School of Music. She is also the Founder and Artistic Director of the University of South Carolina’s Jazz Girls Day^®. Dr. Clark is the only woman and drummer to earn a doctoral degree in jazz from the University of North Texas.

Dr. Clark has shared the stage with jazz luminaries including: Branford Marsalis, Rodney Whitaker, Catherine Russell, Camille Thurman, Rudresh Mahanthappa, and Mimi Jones. Clark has been featured in DOWNBEAT magazine and is also an ASCAP winning composer. Clark was invited by the ASCAP Foundation to lead her band at the Kennedy Center. Clark is the Drumset Editor for Percussive Notes and serves on the PAS Drumset Committee.

To read Dr. Clark's full bio, click here.

The concert program will be announced later.

Wayne Splettstoeszer is the Jazz Ensemble Manager.

NEMFA Vocal Ensemble and Winds & Percussion Performance Lists Revisions in Third Year

Thanks so much to Amy Ranta of The Woodstock Academy in Woodstock, CT and Lauren Churchill of Griswold High School in Jewett City, CT for organizing revisions to the lists of the NEMFA Vocal Ensemble and Winds Performance Repertoire. Another person who deserves appreciation for work on our lists is Talia Millas, a percussion student at the Crane School of Music in Potsdam, NY, who also participated in NEMFA festivals as a high school student. Talia has been working on a Percussion List revision proposal for NEMFA as well. The revised lists for Vocal Ensembles and Winds are already being used now. Amy notes that when she is working with her students on a NEMFA Vocal Ensemble selection, she incorporates it into the concert that her group is preparing at the time so that is not an extra piece to prepare, but may be performed both in the NEMFA Solo and Ensemble Festival and in her own school concert.

NEMFA Choral Directors who are interested in commenting on this Vocal Ensemble Revision List should contact Amy Ranta at aranta@woodstockcademy.org . Comments regarding the NEMFA Winds and Percussion Performance Lists should be directed to Lauren Churchill at LChurchill@griswoldpublicschools.org . Work is continuing on the Percussion List and information about the use off any revisions to this list will be announced in the near future. Thank you to all for your efforts!

Lowell Mason House Report

LOWELL MASON HOUSE CONTINUES TO MAKE PROGRESS

[Medfield, Massachusetts] – The Lowell Mason House is excited to announce that it is working on a major Capital Campaign called "Fund to the Finish" to raise the needed funds to complete the project in order for it to be opened to the public. The completion of tasks for the Feasibility and Technical Assistance Grant that was received from the Mass Cultural Council for $35,000 brings this phase of the project close to completion, as the group is moving into a permitting and construction phase of the project. Video interior room renderings have been developed for the Lowell Mason House presentations as the group moves into the beginnings of a $600,000 Capital Campaign which will provide the necessary funds to complete the building and turn it into a music education advocacy center. Specs for an elevator for the facility have been completed and an ADA Compliant Wing has been designed... we are now entering the permitting phase of the project to allow us to begin construction. This addition is the key to making the house handicapped-accessible, allowing the house to be enjoyed by all without worrying about physical impediments. Grant funding for the planning of this addition has been provided by the Massachusetts Cultural Facilities Fund, a program of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts administered through a collaborative arrangement between Mass Development and the Mass Cultural Council. STAY TUNED HERE FOR THE NEXT BULLETIN AS WE WILL BE ANNOUNCING MORE EXCITING NEWS ABOUT THE LMH!

Thanks to Will and Caleb Mason, direct descendants of Lowell Mason, the LMH recently added to its collection the Mason & Hamlin piano built for Lowell Mason’s grandson Henry Lowell Mason. It was built in 1929 as the last one built before the family sold the business, was voiced by noted pianist Sergei Rachmaninoff, and kept within the Mason Family. It is temporarily living at St. Edward the Confessor’s RC Church in Medfield until the LMH opens to the public!

The LMH also recently accepted the donation of a 1902 Mason & Hamlin upright piano that will be fully restored and placed in one of the practice rooms that is doubling as a score study room for directors of choral, orchestral, wind band, and jazz ensembles. A variety of scores and music resource books are also being donated for that room as well.

The Mission of the Lowell Mason House is to create and program an active space for music making, music and arts education advocacy, and historical preservation within the original structure of the Lowell Mason birthplace. The architecturally significant house was already decades old when Lowell Mason was born in 1792. Portions of the house have been age dated using dendrochronology to 1651, making the house among the oldest in Massachusetts and North America. The Lowell Mason House has raised over $900,000.00 up to this date for the purpose of turning it into a study, collections, practice/chamber performance space, and a meeting place for arts education advocates. We are grateful to the music educators associations around the United States that have made contributions towards its restoration, including the New England Music Festival Association. Your continued interest and support in this project is very much appreciated.

Thank you for considering making a tax deductible donation today. Please make checks payable to: The Lowell Mason House, P. O. Box 913 Medfield, MA 02052. If you prefer, you may also donate directly online by going to our website at http://www.lowellmasonhouse.net . Your contribution is tax-deductible as a charitable contribution to the extent provided by U.S. tax.

John Philip Sousa National High School Honor Band Festival - Upcoming Dates: July 12-15, 2026

THE JOHN PHILIP SOUSA NATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL HONOR BAND WILL BE HELD FROM JULY 12-15, 2026 in Massachusetts This would be the 16th biannual edition since 1981 of the John Philip Sousa National High School Honor Band for 2026, showcasing high achieving musicians from across the US. Audition videos are being accepted for all student members of the group up to the deadline of February 15, 2026. Go to https://www.sousanhsband.com/auditions regarding auditions. More information is be released as it comes in about this event at https://www.sousanhsband.com. Michael J. Colburn, former conductor of the "President's Own" United States Marine Band and former New England Music Festival Association Guest Conductor and Student member from Vermont will again lead the 2026 John Philip Sousa National High School Honor Band Festival.

Keep watching our website for breaking news about the 2026 Sousa National Honor Band being held on July 12-15, 2026. at https://www.sousanhsband.com.

BAND WEBSITE:

https://www.sousanhsband.com

The 2024 John Philip Sousa National High School Honor Band - July 17, 2024, Mechanics Hall, Worcester, MA.

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