Honors Performanc e Series
Royal Festival Hall, Southbank Centre
TUESDAY, JUNE 23, 2026 | 2:00 PM
About the Series
The Honors Performance Series offers exciting and challenging performance opportunities tailored for dedicated young musicians, ages 11 to 18. Selected applicants rehearse and perform under acclaimed conductors and have the opportunity to meet other passionate performers from around the world.
Program Overview
The High School Honors Performance Series at Royal Festival Hall builds upon the heritage of the Series by challenging accomplished 9th-12th grade musicians to reach new heights on stage at one of the world’s most recognized and revered performance institutions: the Royal Festival Hall at Southbank Centre, home of the London Philharmonic Orchestra. Since arriving in London, Finalists have come together for several days of rehearsals under master conductors, experiencing the must-see culture and sights, and befriending other passionate musicians.
©Nick Rochowski
Honors Concert Choir
conducted by dr. brandon boyd accompanied by alison procter
A Jubilant Song
Brandon Williams
Kyrie Eleison in G Major
Rosephanye Powell
Msifuni Mungu!
Traditional Swahili, arr. Jarrett Roseborough
The Wisdom of the Moon
Susan Labarr
Shelter Me
Stuart Chapman Hill
I'll Fly Away
Albert E. Brumley, arr. Brandon Boyd
Featured Guest Musicians
Tim Dobinson
Sophie Stevenson
Kalli Aden
Meghana Baskar Rao
Chloe Broussard
Hannah Burgess
Maya Cacho
Cecilia Cambio
Pallavi Chakravarthy
Shayon Chakravarti
Gabriel Chavez-Vitiello
Emma Lacy Clark
Andia Clarke
Kylie Crist
Evelyn Dickey
Colin Duersch
Ryan Fernandez
Molly Goodrich
Olive Hinkle
Zoey Hogg
Violet S. Hoover
Graysun Houston
Abigail Huston
Tejas Iyer
Carter Kincheloe
Redon Kirby
Ada Koftinoff
William Lane
Francesco Mannarino
Rebecca McGregor
Sydney McHugh
Lucia Micciche
Caitlin Milligan
Deontrel Nelson
Jack Norwood
Maya Parekh
Eli Pavy
Mya Pride
Joy Pridemore
Kimberly Quintana
Alma Raznahan
Daphne Read
Katelyn Richards
Zina Robinson
Rebekah Schuchard
Kaia Steele
Drake Summerhill
Maraki Teferi
Nevaeh Thompson
Kira Tilley
Sofia G. Tsabounieris
Stevi Lynn Vasquez
Stella Villalobos
Landon Watts
Madelyn Westford
Adah Wiese
Honors Band
conducted by dr. kenneth ozzello
Marchissimo
Philip Sparks
Canterbury Chorale
Jan Van der Roost
Waltz No 2
Dimitri Shostakovich, arr. James Curnow
Night on Fire
John Mackey
Vanishing Point
Randall Standridge
Featured Guest Musicians
Adi Grant
Alison Procter
Piccolo & Flute
Hayden Ives Theall
Flute
Michelle Argueta
Sayaka David
Emma Fu
Michael Gaughan
Alexander Ng
Kayla Rasnick
Meru Sashikanth
Oboe
Radha Biswas
Kaelee Keaster
Bassoon
Carlton Pertile II
Bb Clarinet
Addisyn Jones
Hector Rosa III
Kaylie Schroeder
Andrew Sun
Aiden Xie
Bass Clarinet
Santiago Villarreal
Alto Saxophone
Kismet Dhuga
Tannon Nicolas Evans
Kathryn Viera
Tenor Saxophone
Gerardo Rodriguez
Baritone Saxophone
Macy Lingle
French Horn
Christopher Collins
Lance Hieb
Trumpet
Will Owen
Trombone
Josué Carlos
Blake Hunter
Lillian Moran
Haylee Priess
Euphonium
Anthony Gasperini
Zuriel Martinez
Ryan Oxford
Zaiden Sanchez
Percussion
Nathan Pearce
Dru Stateczny
Honors Orchestra
conducted by catherine birke
Selections from Don Quixote Suite G.P. Telemann
I. Overture
II. The Awakening of Don Quixote
III. Attack on the Windmills
Selections from Suite for Strings John Rutter
II. I Have a Bonnet Trimmed with Blue
III. O Waly Waly
Selections from The Voyage
III. The Nine Muses
IV. The Lion's Spring Dance
Longa Farahfaza
Featured Guest Musician
Sophie Stevenson
Reena Esmail
Riad Al Sunbati, arr. Mahdi AlMahdi
Violin I
Caden Dodd
Lois Hwang
Eliza Kohler
Riya Shah
Thomas Swanson
Nathan Tan
Violin II
Gabrielle Dooley
Ann Lam
Luciano Menanno
Avery Parsons-Carswell
Gerardo Rodriguez
Vedika Sharma
Vivien Sheffield
Viola
Declan Grant
Elyse Jeannot
Anabella Melendez
Coco Venezia
Cello
Mauricio Alvarado
Amey Amle
Emilia Dereniewski
Davin Girardin
Beckett Hemmer
Julian Iliachenko
Jeremy E. Marquez
Philippos Simeonidis
Alexandra Tournoy
Kelsie Troutman
String Bass
Vivian Emanuel
Andrew Huerta
Eleonore Rives
HONORS CONCERT CHOIR
Dr. Brandon Boyd, Conductor
We are delighted to welcome Dr. Boyd to the Honors Performance Series for the first time this season. His compositions and arrangements have graced Series stages for years—and we are thrilled to finally have the composer himself on the podium.
Dr. Brandon Boyd, is a conductor, composer, and educator whose work bridges the concert stage and the community. As the Director of Choral Activities at the University of Missouri, he directs the University Singers, Sankofa Chorale, and Choral Union Symphonic Chorus, and leads graduate studies in choral conducting, literature, and arranging. His research centers on the transformative power of choral singing—for seniors, for students, and for those too often excluded from musical life, including incarcerated women and individuals experiencing homelessness. He has co-directed community choirs across Florida and served as Composer-inResidence with the Santa Fe Desert Chorale.
Internationally, Dr. Boyd has served as chorus master and guest pianist with the London Symphony, prepared the NDR Elbphilharmonie for Maestro Alan Gilbert's productions of Porgy and Bess, and guest conducted the Nashville, Missouri, and St. Louis symphonies. He has appeared at Carnegie Hall as conductor, composer, and pianist. As a composer, his music is published by Hinshaw, GIA, MorningStar, Kjos, and Gentry Publications, where he also serves as Executive Choral Editor.
Dr. Boyd holds a Ph.D. and M.M. from Florida State University and a B.S. from Tennessee State University, and is a proud member of ACDA, NAfME, and the National Association of Negro Musicians.
HONORS BAND
Dr. Kenneth Ozzello, Conductor
Conductor, 2024 High School Honors Band (Carnegie Hall), 2022 Young Adult Honors Wind Ensemble (Musikverein); 2020, 2017, & 2014 High School Honors Band (Carnegie Hall); 2017 Middle School Honors Junior Orchestra (Carnegie Hall)
Dr. Kenneth Ozzello is one of the most respected figures in American wind band music. As Director of Bands at the University of Alabama, he conducts the Alabama Wind Ensemble—an ensemble with invitations to the American Bandmasters Association Convention and the CBDNA National Conference, and recordings on Albany Records. He has commissioned and premiered dozens of new works from composers including Kevin Day, Donald Grantham, and Jim Stephenson, and collaborated with artists including Joe Alessi, Chris Martin, Eighth Blackbird, and EPOCH Percussion Quartet, bringing vital new voices into the wind band canon.
Dr. Ozzello also directs the University of Alabama Million Dollar Marching Band, recipients of the coveted Sudler Trophy. The band has performed at College Football Playoff Championships, the 2021 Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, and the 2024 Tournament of Roses Parade. Guest engagements have taken him to the Musikverein in Vienna and Harpa Hall in Reykjavik.
Dr. Ozzello holds degrees from West Virginia University and the University of Alabama, and is a member of the American Bandmasters Association, CBDNA, NAfME, Phi Beta Mu, and Kappa Kappa Psi.
HONORS ORCHESTRA
Catherine Birke, Conductor
Conductor, 2025 Middle School Honors Junior Orchestra (Carnegie Hall); 2024 High School Honors String Orchestra (Carnegie Hall)
Catherine Birke is a conductor and educator with a rare gift for drawing exceptional musicmaking from young performers. She serves as Music Director of the Music Advancement Program at The Juilliard School, Music Director of the Metropolitan Youth Orchestra Nassau Symphony Orchestra, and Director of Orchestras at Herricks High School (NY). She has also served as Director of Strings at the NY State Summer School of the Arts and as an adjunct professor of Music Education at Hofstra University. Her ensembles perform regularly at Carnegie Hall, Alice Tully Hall, and The Juilliard School, and are consistent competitors at national festivals including the ASTA National Orchestra Festival.
A passionate advocate for new music and equity in programming, Ms. Birke has led her ensembles through seven world premieres in four years, featuring commissioned works by Reena Esmail, Marcus Norris, Trevor Weston, and others. In 2023, she prepared the MAP Orchestra for a side-by-side performance with the New York Philharmonic as part of the Composing Inclusion Project. Recent guest conducting engagements include the 2024 Vermont, 2025 Connecticut, and 2026 Maryland All-State Symphony Orchestras, and the WorldStrides Honors Performance Series at Carnegie Hall.
HONORS CONCERT CHOIR
Alison Procter, Accompanist
Alison Proctor studied with Christopher Elton at the Royal Academy of Music in London, where she earned numerous prizes as well as both the Accompanists Award and the Liza Fuchsova Chamber Music Award from the Royal Overseas League Music Competition.
Ms. Procter maintains a rich and varied musical life as an accompanist, chamber pianist, and orchestral player. She is in constant demand as an audition accompanist, playing regularly for leading organizations including the Philharmonia Orchestra, Royal Scottish National Orchestra, English National Opera, London Philharmonic Orchestra, BBC Concert Orchestra, and the Craxton Memorial Trust. She has worked extensively with the woodwind and brass departments at the Guildhall School of Music, the Royal College of Music, and the Royal Academy of Music, where she regularly accompanies auditions, masterclasses, competitions, and internal assessments.
Now Accepting Auditions for our 2027 Season
The Honors Performance Series is now accepting applications from high school Finalists for the 2027 Series.
In February 2027, the High School Honors Performance Series looks forward to returning to Carnegie Hall.
The application for middle school Finalists will open in Fall 2026. Middle school performers can look forward to returning to Carnegie Hall.
