The Brightest New Players and Musicians Continuing Their Artistic Pursuits at College

It's no secret Ridgewood is one of the top public schools in the country for its theater and musical programs. And one look at the list of students continuing their pursuits of the two fine arts confirms it.

Nine graduating seniors will be participating this upcoming fall, according to the Ridgewood High School Department of Fine and Applied Arts. Beyond just submitting standard applications, students must pass theory exams and perform solo auditions in front of university faculty.

In a media release, the Fine and Applied Arts Department said high school staff considers the arts "as basic to the education of every individual."

"The goals of the music program include individual development, ensemble development, aesthetic awareness, and public performance. RHS students undergo rigorous training with challenging material, sight readings, music theory and a full performance schedule," the release stated.

"The staff and parents wish these future professional musicians and actors success!"

The students majoring in music or theater are:

Pictured, L to R: 

• Chris Dubois, music performance for percussion, University of Delaware;
• Lily Josefsberg, music performance for flute at Boston University;
• Audrey Highfill, music performance for percussion at Montclair State University; 
• David Friedas, music performance for trumpet at Mannes College The New School for Music, Manhattan.

Not pictured: 

• Katarina Spungen, theatre at University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana;
• Hattie Taylor, musical theatre at The New Studio on Broadway, Tisch School of the Arts, NYU;
• Allie Marra, musical theatre at Emerson College, Boston;
• Maxwell Dabby, music education with a concentration in French horn and flute, University of Delaware;
• Carlin Rizzo, ­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­ music performance (bass), Mannes College The New School for Music.