Several musically inclined scholars from the Academy of the Holy Angels have been inducted into Chapter 2150 of Modern Music Masters, informally known as the Tri-M Music Honor Society.
New Tri-M members include Mariel Bacolod, Angelina Busetto, Jillian Busetto, Yasmine Carter-McTavish, Haram Kim, Irene Kim, Marina Lee, Eungyo “Ivy” Shin, Hannah Li, and Gillian van der Have.
Sponsored by the National Association for Music Educators, Tri-M recognizes young musicians and strives to produce leaders in music education and advocacy. AHA Tri-M Co-presidents Mary Haws and Jaya Sharma, both of River Vale, noted that the inductees were being honored for the combination of their musical skills, scholarship, character, leadership, and service to others.
Following the induction ceremony, the Tri-M inductees presented musical selections and brief comments on their chosen pieces.
Haram Kim, Jillian Busetto, and Irene Kim performed flute pieces. Their respective selections were Erik Satie’s “Gymnopedie No. 1,” Tchaikovsky’s “Waltz of the Flowers,” and “Serenade” by Franz Joseph Haydn.
Marina Lee, Ivy Shin, and Mariel Bacolod presented piano pieces. Lee chose Beethoven’s “Pathetique Sonata in C Minor,” Bacolod played and sang the Bach/Gounod version of “Ave Maria,” and Shin played Yiruma’s “River Flows in You.” Shin is also a baritone horn player.
Yasmine Carter-McTavish sang “The Cherry Tree” by Cecil Armstrong Gibbs accompanied by AHA Choral Director Lisa Marciano. Gillian van der Have sang “Il Mio Bel Foco” by Francesco Bartolomeo Conti. Van der Have is also a violinist.
Angelina Busetto played “Claudy Banks” on the alto saxophone, and violinist Hannah Li played Edward Elgar’s “Salut d’Amour.”
AHA Instrumental Music Director and Tri-M Chapter 2150 Adviser Mariann Annecchino encourages Tri-M members to promote music at school and in the greater community. Her students have organized outreach concerts at multiple venues, where they generously share their considerable talents. Students present programs that feature a range of musical styles and instruments. Recent performances were held for the residents of Spectrum for Living and Van Dyk Park Place. AHA’s Tri-M members are acutely aware of the positive effects of music, and enjoy seeing audience members smile and move in time as they hear various melodies.
A Jeans Pass event sponsored by Tri-M also generated $1,300 for the music program at Sacred Heart School in Jersey City. This fundraiser allowed Holy Angels students and staff to purchase a pass that allowed them to wear jeans to school on a designated day. Proceeds were then donated to Sacred Heart.
Founded by the School Sisters of Notre Dame in 1879, the Academy of the Holy Angels is the oldest private girls’ school in Bergen County. While AHA is steeped in Catholic tradition, this prestigious high school serves young women from a broad spectrum of cultural and religious backgrounds. Over time, thousands of women have passed through AHA’s portals. Many go on to study at some of the nation’s best universities, earning high-ranking positions in medicine, government, law, education, public service, business, arts, and athletics. The Academy’s current leaders continue to further the SSND mission to provide each student with the tools she needs to reach the fullness of her potential—spiritually, intellectually, socially, and physically, by offering a first-rate education in a nurturing environment where equal importance is placed on academic excellence, character development, moral integrity, and service to others.
