Xaverian senior Laila Halpern and junior Christopher LeDoux were selected to participate in the prestigious and competitive New York State School Music Association All-State Festival at the 86th Annual Winter Conference in Rochester, New York. Laila, a trombone player, and Christopher, a trumpet player, will play with about 700 other students in New York’s highest-level high school groups in Orchestra and Symphonic Band, respectively.
Throughout her seven years as a musician, Laila Halpern has played with the New York Pops at Carnegie Hall for their 36th Annual Gala, marched in several parades throughout New York City, and is a member of Xaverian’s Select Band, Jazz Band, Trombone Quartet, Brass Quintet, Jazz Combo, and Select Jazz Band. The Music at Xaverian Program has provided Laila with once-in-a-lifetime opportunities, like All-State and Tunnel to Towers, that ultimately fueled her love for music. On performing in these bands, Laila remarked, “Being able to meet other talented musicians and put smiles on people’s faces made band seem less like a chore and more like a passion for me.”
Christopher LeDoux plays in Xaverian’s Jazz Band, Select Band, Jazz Combo Band, Brass Quintet, Pit Orchestra, and Select Jazz Group. This past summer, Christopher was invited to tour Italy with a youth orchestra based in Long Island. He also was awarded a full scholarship to French Woods, a performing arts camp located in Hancock, NY. There, he was able to be featured, playing a trumpet solo under the baton of Tony Award-winning Broadway composer Jason Robert Brown. Christopher is a member of the prestigious New York Youth Symphony as well as the ISO Symphony Orchestra, playing at Carnegie Hall multiple times a year. In 2020 and 2021, Christopher was selected to be a part of Carnegie Hall’s National Youth Orchestra 2. Christopher was a finalist in the International Trumpet Guild’s youth division competition in 2021, competing against kids from several different continents. Prior to coming to Xaverian, Christopher was a member of the New York Pop’s Kids on Stage Program, where he played alongside the professional orchestra at Carnegie Hall. Christopher plays annually at Feinstein's 54 Below, Broadway’s Superlounge, and plays in his parish's yearly Christmas concert.
Director of Music at Xaverian, Mr. Joseph Loposky, commented, “Chris and Laila have been outstanding musicians for the Xaverian family for the past three and four years. Each student has shown amazing growth as a student musician and, through their own hard work and dedication, has taken their musical abilities way beyond the high school level. This All-State honor is icing on the cake for their hard work over the past few years. All of us at Xaverian are proud of them for their accomplishments!”