student in Goshen history who won the prestigious OCMEA Instrumental Scholarship.
The Goshen High School Music Department struck a major chord at the 2025-26 All County Music Festival, with 54 student musicians selected to attend — the highest number of All-County acceptances in the school’s history.
In addition, Goshen is celebrating a historic first: Senior Brian Loftus was named this year’s Orange County Music Educators’ Association (OCMEA) Instrumental Scholarship winner. This marks the first time a Goshen band student has earned this prestigious honor. Brian will study saxophone performance at Ithaca College in the fall.
“These incredible achievements speak to the dedication of our students and the outstanding support of our music educators,” said Goshen High School Principal Nick Pantaleone. “Having 54 students selected for All-County, and celebrating Brian as our first OCMEA instrumental scholarship winner, is a testament to the talent, hard work, and passion that defines Goshen High School.”
The High School All-County Music Festival, hosted on January 23 and 24 at Cornwall High School, brought together outstanding student musicians from across Orange County. Selection into the festival is highly competitive. Each student prepared an audition piece and performed before a judge in October, with only the top musicians earning acceptance.
All-County Band, from left, Dante Mazerolie, tenor sax; Tarunya Balamurali, trumpet; Asrush Vohra, trumpet; Jacob Loter, baritone sax, Ella Eulau, piccolo, Mateo Vanichpong-Barbosa, tenor sax; Paige Raquet, Brian Loftus, alto sax; Ishaan Bagam, trumpet.
All-County Orchestra, winds and percussion, from left, Ava Carroll, flute; Naomi Aclin, percussion; Lucas Collishaw, trumpet; Riley McGuire, bass clarinet; Alexa Krabbe, bassoon; Logan Redeker, french horn.
All-County Chorus, sopranos: Dominica Cello, Reese Fardella, Jillian Kyrou, Mary Mott, Melanie Sanchez, Jordan Seligman. Altos: Larianna Bala, Gisselle Charles, Meridith Greene, Mia Nieves, Abigail Thomas, Amelia Thomas. Tenors: Abhiram Bagam, Matthew Castillo Valencia, Daniel Govoruha, Mason Haswell, Nicholas Obligado, Dhilan Tawil. Basses: Colby Bridges, Ethan Gacheny, Drew Gilbert, Brody Henry, Myles Henry, Kaeyden Hernandez.
All-County Orchestra, strings, back row, from left, Zoie Singh, cello; Anna Shapiro, violin; Mary Coppers Costantino, violin; Jovani Samuel Duzdevich, violin; Lauren Henderson, violin; Laila Logan, violin; Mehri Ghezel-Ayagh, viola; Guy Coppers Costantino, cello; Adrian Flanigan, cello. Front row, from left, Lucy Davila, viola; Mia Rucker, bass; Rosie Li, bass; Gemma Maxwell, violin; Olivia Gawronski, violin; Zara Singh, viola.