Going the Distance

Freshman to Travel to Australia for Band Performance

Deana Trautz, Editor-in-Chief

Summers may be filled with trips to the pool and Netflix marathons, but freshman Will Lambert’s summer will pan out a bit differently. In July, Lambert will be flying for 19 hours with his tenor saxophone to Sydney, Australia to perform at the Sydney Opera House.

This is all possible because Manuel San Luis, his former band director, nominated him for the 2017 Middle School Performance Series. After Lambert submitted an audition, he got accepted into the program and performed at Carnegie Hall with other nationally recognized band students.

Having been accepted into the middle school program, Lambert was given the chance to audition for the 2018 High School Honor Performance Series and given the opportunity to perform in Sydney this summer. Over 12,000 high school students applied, but only 250 of them were selected- one of them was Lambert.

Lambert said that he is thankful to take part in both of these series.

“It’s really rewarding, you grow a lot, you learn a lot,” Lambert said. “I’m just really grateful to have these opportunities in the first place.”

He and the other students will be led by world-class conductors in Sydney, which Lambert said is one of the highlights of this opportunity.

“They bring up things that you have never thought of before,” Lambert said. “It’s a great way to learn.”

Lambert started off on the alto saxophone in sixth grade, but moved to the tenor sax in his seventh-grade year, which he still plays today.

He said that initially, he had little hope of getting into the program, however his family encouraged him throughout the audition process.

“Probably if it was not for family, I would not have tried out,” Lambert said. “I didn’t think I was going to make it, so it was kind of a shock.”

These performances had never been on Lambert’s plan, but he said that he is looking forward to his next big performance.

“I had no idea this would be happening,” Lambert said. “It’s a little overwhelming, but I’m really grateful and excited.”