Fryeburg Academy Students Recognized at 27th Annual Berklee Jazz Festival
This year marks the 27th year of the Berklee Jazz Festival held in Boston, MA and the nearly three decades that Fryeburg Academy’s award-winning music program has participated in the prestigious event. 2019 also marks the end of an era for the festival: after 51 years of operation by Berklee College of Music, the college announced the festival’s suspension this year to reallocate funds towards financial aid.
“As an alumna of Berklee College of Music, I’m sad to see that the decision to suspend the festival has been made,” says FA’s Music Director Mimi Rohlfing. “I’ve loved sharing this amazing place with my students, and I know our students have looked forward to the constructive critique, camaraderie, and the bounty of astounding music they can consume in that one special day. However, I love change. Both Mr. Sakash and I see it as an opportunity to expose our students to new musical and cultural experiences in the future.”
At this year’s Berklee Jazz Festival, several Fryeburg Academy students received recognition for outstanding performances: Georgia Stafford ‘19earned the Judges’ Choice Award for her Vocal Jazz ensemble performance, and the ensemble received an Outstanding Musicianship Award for the school’s division. Matt Gunther ‘20 and Simon St. Pierre ‘21 also received Judges’ Choice Awards for their instrumental performances in the New Standard Combo and Fryeburg Academy Big Band.
“The Fryeburg Academy Big Band played extremely well and rated sixth among some of the best high school big bands in the country,” continues Mike Sakash, Arts Department Chair at FA. “Our jazz ensembles and combos are off to a great start this year and we are anxious to refine our repertoire in preparation for Maine’s district and state jazz festivals.”
FA students who were named to the District II Honors Choral Festival that performed on February 1st in Cumberland, Maine were Ayanna Ward ‘22, Alanceiah Waiters ‘20 (who featured a solo for the 2nd year in a row), McKenna McGrath ‘19, Sharlah-Mae Day ‘21, Grace Marshall ‘21, David Marshall ‘21.
FA students who were named to the District II Honors Jazz Band and Choir to be hosted by Yarmouth High School on April 1st are Georgia Stafford ‘19(top alto in the district for the 2nd year in a row), Alanceiah Waiters ‘19, Taylor Gunther ‘22, Arvin Ma ‘20, Brendan Simkins ‘21, and Simon St. Pierre ‘21(first chair alto saxophone for the district).
“It’s a big accomplishment to be named to District II,” concludes Rohlfing. “The district is very large and includes schools like Gould Academy and the towns of Lewiston, Auburn, as well as Falmouth and Greely. Students from a large portion of the state compete to earn places in these ensembles.”
We are pleased to announce the following students who have earned academic recognition at Fryeburg Academy for the Fall of 2023-24:
HONORS Grade 12: (Honors)
Charlotte Adamus Vittoria Bernardini Natalie Berry Dom Bond Jordin Booker Owen Burford Tori Butters Jilyan Byrne Lorenzo Catana Vallemani Jonah Densmore Vitoria Do Espirito Santo Teixeira Elle Dooley Austin Dorner Deniz Eroglu Manu Fandos Martinez Aidan Flanigan Amber Gagnon Mia Grandchamp Gal Hanan
Emily Hoosier Noah Jacobs Emma Keaten David Kim Joey Kim Kardelen Lacinok Helena Landry Margherita Lassini Leo Lee Celine Lee Ana Maillett Moss Marques Caroline Masterman Asher McKenney Ryan Meade Natalia Millan Arenas Mina Milosevic Tommy Morini Tasia Nason
Rachel Pizzo Grace Porcaro Abby Pratt Ashe Rabideau Winter Raymond Dustin Rhoda Gideon Richard Leah Rokes Margherita Rossi Gunnar Saunders Louie Shin Lamar Smith Hunter Tripp Tanner Tripp Gabby Udoto Logan Walton Kara Willette Connor Williams Mary Wing Kevin Zhou
From October 31 through November 3, five members of the Academy's FFA Chapter (Future Farmers of America) and faculty member Jennifer Solter Jones attended the National FFA Convention held in Indianapolis, Indiana.
On Thursday, November 16th, Fryeburg Academy celebrated the fall sports season with its annual fall sports awards assembly held in the Leura Hill Eastman Performing Arts Center. The following student-athletes were recognized for their outstanding performance during the fall 2023-24 season:
Fryeburg Academy and the Board of Trustees announce the installation of Joseph R. Manning as the Academy’s 55th head of school. The Installation Ceremony was held on Friday, November 3, 2023, with members of the Fryeburg Academy community, the Board of Trustees, and former head of school Erin P. Mayo in attendance as a guest speaker. Manning steps into this new leadership role during the school’s 232nd year, following a long-tenured and successful career at the Academy spanning twenty years of service.
Fryeburg Academy seniors Tyler Bartick and Jiwon Choi have earned Letters of Commendation from the National Merit Scholarship Program (NMSC) for their performance on the 2022 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT®).
Fryeburg Academy is an independent boarding and day school, serving grades 9-12 and postgraduate. We invite you to explore our site and learn how students from around the globe find their place in the world through our exceptional academic, art, and athletic programs.