Batavia City School District

        

Musicians of Note, which honors Batavia High School graduates who have made an impact in music, will host its sixth annual ceremony on Thursday, October 23, at 7 p.m. in the Frank E. Owen Auditorium at Batavia High School.

Honorees will be recognized with a video presentation and performance ensembles to celebrate their achievements. A plaque featuring their accomplishments will be displayed on the new Musicians of Note wall at Batavia High School. 

This year’s recipients of the Musician of Note Award include:
 

Carole Haber (Class of 1975)

• Soprano in Mixed Chorus, Select Chorus, and Girls Barbershop Quartet at BHS
• Graduate of Crane School of Music at SUNY Potsdam and New England Conservatory
• Made her operatic debut as Queen of the Night in The Magic Flute in 1986 and performed this role throughout the East Coast
• Made her Carnegie Hall debut with the Orchestra of St. Luke’s in Brahms’ Requiem, 1997
• Has taught at the esteemed New England Conservatory of Music for 37 years, where she was named the first occupant of NEC’s endowed faculty position in vocal studies in 2009
   

Lila Ruth Dean Hamilton (Class of 1945 and Teacher 1967-1984)
Vocal Music Teacher at Batavia Junior High School and John Kennedy Elementary School

• Head of Public Relations for NYSSMA 1980-1993
• Director of Geneva Children’s Choir, Batavia First Presbyterian Church Sanctuary Choir, and performer in many local ensembles and productions
• Secretary/Treasurer of Genesee County Music Teachers Association
• The Lila Hamilton Student Music Award was established at John Kennedy in 1984 and is still given today 

Suzanne Leyden (Class of 1999)

• Violinist in Genesee Symphony Orchestra 1995 -1999
• NYSSMA Conference All-State Orchestra 1998, 1999
• Bachelor of Music from Westminster College, 2003
• Master of Music Education from the University of Illinois, 2009
• Orchestra director grades 4 – 12 and Music Department Chairperson in Glens Falls

City School District, Glens Falls, NY 2003 - present
 

Karl Leopold Reiss, EdD  (Class of 1972)

• Percussion Instructor at SUNY Brockport and Texas Southern University
• Performer across all genres
• Arts Administrator at the Bolles School, the American Boychoir School, the Idlewild Arts Academy, and Parish Episcopal School

The ceremony is open to the public and free to attend. 

 

# # #