October 15, 2026
OCTOBER
Outstanding String Players Cristian Santos Borjas Grade 12; Morristown High School; Nominated by Norma Davis Cristian Santos Borjas serves as co-concertmaster of the Morristown High School Orchestra. He has been a dedicated member of the orchestra program during all four years at the school and has been involved in multiple facets of the music program, including collaborating in performances for the community. Cristian pays attention to every detail in order to grow his musicianship and to make the orchestra successful. He has been incredibly helpful in working with the underclassmen, volunteering as a peer teacher in lessons and by being an active role model by example. He has organized many sectionals to work with other students; he has a friendly and masterful way of explaining and demonstrating excellent musicianship and inspiring others to excel. Cristian is a member of the Orchestra, select Chamber Orchestra, Camerata, and Pit Orchestra. In addition to being an outstanding violinist, Cristian learned to play the viola with excellence and has performed on both instruments on different pieces in our concerts. He is a true asset to the orchestra program, always wears a smile, and energizes each rehearsal and performance. Cristian is an Outstanding String Player who is worthy of this distinction. Ryleigh Dachisen Grade 8; Copeland Middle School; Nominated by Jason DePope As a violist, Ryleigh serves as the principal of our Orchestra and Chamber Ensemble viola sections and has successfully performed with NJSMA Honors orchestras. Her dedicated musicianship acts as the anchor of our ensembles, consistently inspiring her peers to strive for higher standards. Beyond her musicianship, her preparedness and easy-going temperament make her a true pleasure to teach. Olivia Drivas Grade 12; Morristown High School; Nominated by Norma Davis Olivia Drivas has been an exceptional student in the Morristown High School Orchestra throughout the past four years. She is a senior and serves as coconcertmaster of the Orchestra. Ollie plays the violin with depth, sophistication, and passion. She leads by example, always eager to help her peers to strive for excellence in musicianship and technical aspects of performing. Ollie is attentive to the style of the music and engages in musical artistry to express ideas and emotions. She can always be relied upon to give her best effort in every rehearsal and performance with dedication and attention to teamwork. She enjoys collaborating with friends to perform many different genres of music. In addition to the MHS Orchestra, Ollie also performs with the select Chamber Orchestra, Camerata, and Pit Orchestra. She is involved in every opportunity that comes her
Outstanding String Players
way and loves playing for school and community events. Ollie is truly a valuable and enthusiastic student. Austin Hong Grade 6; Chatham Middle School; Nominated by Mario DeSantis I am pleased to nominate Austin Hong for the Outstanding String Player award. Austin is an exceptionally dedicated young musician who consistently comes to class well-prepared and ready to learn. He demonstrates a sincere passion for playing his instrument and takes great pride in his growth as a musician. Beyond his own playing, Austin is a thoughtful and supportive member of the orchestra who regularly helps his classmates and contributes positively to the ensemble. He is also a member of all of our extracurricular ensembles, including Chamber Orchestra, our most advanced ensemble. His commitment to music, strong work ethic, willingness to support others, and enthusiasm for performing make him an outstanding representative of our string program. Ellie Kourkoulakos Grade 12; West Morris Mendham High School; Nominated by Mary Daly Ellie, a senior at WMMHS and concertmaster of the WMMHS Orchestra, is truly dedicated to her musicianship. She has performed in the WMMHS pit orchestra for Les Miserables, and took on the role of the Fiddler in Fiddler on the Roof at WMCHS. During her summer break, Ellie toured with her chamber group in Croatia, Montenegro, and Italy. At MHS, Ellie has put together small ensemble groups that perform holiday music for senior communities and the Matheny School. She has performed in the WMMHS Small Ensemble for school events such as the National Honors Society Ceremony and the World Language Ceremony. Ellie also leads the sectionals for her group and works with the students who need extra assistance to learn their part. I can count on Ellie and I truly appreciate her effort and skill. Disha Murugan Grade 8; Central Middle School; Nominated by Darby McAdams Disha is a dedicated and hardworking violinist that is very deserving of this honor. First, she loves playing the violin! She’s always looking for new pieces to challenge herself and help her grow into a stronger musician. She also is a very active participant in class by contributing to class discussions and demonstrating for her classmates. Disha is currently involved in her school’s Chamber Orchestra, grade level Orchestra, private lessons and Lakeland Youth Symphony. I can always count on Disha because she is an “Outstanding Music Student.” Gia Scimanico Grade 6; Pequannock Valley School; Nominated by Michael Kertesz Gia is a sixth-grade student who recently began playing bass for the first time, and she has already made a tremendous contribution to our 6th Grade Band. She is a quick learner who approaches the instrument with enthusiasm and perseverance, and she has quickly become an important part of our ensemble. Because bass is a less common instrument in our beginning band, Gia is often the only student playing
October 15, 2026
her particular part. Rather than allowing that to discourage her, she has embraced the challenge and learned to prepare and perform her music independently from the rest of the ensemble. She listens carefully, asks questions, works through difficult passages, and continues to improve each day. Beyond her own playing, Gia is also a wonderful helper to her classmates and has become someone we can rely on within the ensemble. For a student who is so new to her instrument, the confidence, independence, and willingness to contribute that she has already demonstrated are truly impressive. Gia represents exactly the kind of young musician who makes a positive difference in an ensemble, and I am very proud of the contribution she is already making to our band. Allen Wu Grade 11; West Morris Mendham High School; Nominated by Mary Daly Allen Wu, a junior at WMMHS, is second chair in the WMMHS Orchestra. Allen has been accepted into High Honors NJSMA (Region 1) Orchestra in his Freshman and Sophomore year as well as All State Orchestra his freshman year. He continues to work toward auditions for Region 1 and All State Orchestra this year. Allen has also participated in the WMMHS Small Ensemble for school sponsored events such as the National Honors Society Ceremony. Allen also assists me in the classroom whenever I need an extra hand. Allen's willingness to help out is greatly appreciated. Trevor Zorzi Grade 10; Jefferson Township High School; Nominated by Daniel Gugger Trevor is a phenomenal violinist and musician. We do not have an orchestra program so Trevor has had to adapt his playing to the Band environment by reading Oboe parts, and sometimes Flute. This presents obvious challenges regarding reading, expression, key signatures, balance, interpretation, tuning, etc. He handles it incredibly well. He reads flat keys flawlessly. His sight reading is very strong. He is collaborative in that he will always take a solo when I need him to, but is happy to have a classmate take it to share the spotlight. Trevor is highly talented, hard working, adaptive and deserving of this honor.