5 Riverwood Music Students Invited To Perform In GMEA All-Star Weekend

SANDY SPRINGS, GA – Five Riverwood International Charter School students were selected to represent their school band, orchestra and chorus at the Georgia Music Educators All-State Weekend.

Sophomore Aldo Rios, who plays the flute, made the All-State Concert band and sophomore Joel Posey was selected as an alternate on clarinet, school officials said. Charlton Hills, a senior, will play sixth chair on the cello in the 11th and 12th-grade All-State String Orchestra, and sophomores Lillian Amengual and Adler Horstemeyer will represent Riverwood as members of the All-State Chorus.

The All-State weekend will be held this year in Athens from March 3-5 as part of one of 51 state affiliates of the National Association for Music Education and was founded in 1938.

“Joel and Aldo are such hard workers within our band program,” Riverwood’s Band Director, Samuel Crawford said. “They contribute immense personal effort to improving on their instruments, and I'm so glad to see them rewarded here. Both young men have excellent practice habits and pursue music on their own and in their own time. It's great to see their passion come to fruition. Congratulations to them and to all who auditioned for All-State from Riverwood.”

Riverwood Principal, Kindra Smith, attributes the overall success of the school’s prestigious music program to the three directors who lead it.

“I am continually impressed by the way our directors connect with our students and guide them to grow as musicians and as people,” Smith said. “They set the tone for a very close-knit group that supports and lifts each other. They have made such a tremendous impact in just a short time at Riverwood.”