Four members of the award-winning West Orange High School Wind Ensemble have been selected for the North Jersey Area Band and two have been selected for the North Jersey Region Band.

Acceptance into both bands is by audition only. Students throughout northern New Jersey audition for the limited spots in in the prestigious musical program.

Divya Anand, junior who plays clarinet, was selected as a member of the North Jersey Area Band.

Alex Frey, a senior who plays trombone, was selected as a member of the North Jersey Area Band.

Austin Bartola, a junior percussion player, and Robert Newman, a senior who plays French Horn, were selected for both the North Jersey Area and North Jersey Regional Bands.

All four are also members of the WOHS Marching Mountaineers, who took home first place in the Yamaha Cup competition at the Meadowlands on Sept. 26.

The NJAB website states that: “The Purpose of Music Education is enhanced by the preparation, audition, and performance of selected students within the selected Northern New Jersey Schools. This enhancement includes: the preparation for audition, the rehearsal of advanced band music, the exposure to advanced conductors, and the performance of said music in a concert setting.”

The musicians have been rehearsing for their North Jersey Area Band Concert, which was held at Mt. Olive High School on Jan. 17.

West Orange High School music program bands, which include Freshmen Band, Concert Band, Symphonic Winds, and Wind Ensemble, compete yearly in the Region I Concert Band Festival, which is set to be held at the high school on April 7. The North Jersey Region Band is associated with the New Jersey Music Association and the Concert Band Festival.

“I am honored and excited to be a member of the North Jersey Area and Region Bands,” said Bartola.

“By playing great pieces with talented directors and musicians, I hope to improve my own skills and enjoy new experiences,” he continued.

For more information on the NJAB, go to: https://www.njab.org/.