Dr. Jean Montès, Conductor, and Cameron Balser '19 at ANHE performance.
During the spring of 2018, Percussionist Cameron Balser ‘19 embarked on a journey that will forever impact his musical career, and he achieved something that many music students strive for during their high school years. Cameron auditioned and was selected to the National Association for Music Education’s All-National Honor Ensemble Orchestra. To be selected to the NAfME All-National Honor Ensemble (ANHE) is a great honor as the selection process begins with only students who have already qualified for All-State Honor Orchestras in each state. Cameron was competing against the best high school musicians from each state. Making the Brother Martin Band history book, Cameron is the first Brother Martin student and bandsman to receive this honor and be selected for the All-National Honor Ensemble as a percussionist.
“The NAfME All-National Honor Ensembles (ANHE) represent the top performing high school musicians in the United States. So much more than a musical ensemble; it is a comprehensive, musical and educational experience,” per NAfME’s website.
During his Thanksgiving holiday, Cameron traveled to Orlando, FL for a week of learning, training, and practicing with the entire orchestra. After the week of training, Cameron and fellow orchestra members performed for an audience on all of the pieces they learned earlier that week.
The All-National Honor Ensemble consists of 550 high school musicians in 10th through 12th grades and overall only 14 percussionists in the orchestra, including Cameron. After the performance, Cameron was asked by his conductor, Dr. Jean Montès, the Director of Orchestral Studies and Coordinator of Strings at Loyola University New Orleans, to assist with the Greater New Orleans Youth Orchestra at Loyola University.
Congratulations to Cameron Balser ‘19 on this outstanding accomplishment! We are so proud of his musical achievements and honors as a Crusader Bandsman.
“Coming together to play with all of the other high school musicians was a great experience because no matter how far away we live from each other, we are still connected through music,” Cameron reflected.
