Huntington's Collin Richardson,
Master Musician
Few teenagers can match the experience Collin Richardson has enjoyed over the past four years. The Huntington High School senior has been on an incredible run, excelling across the board. He's rapidly becoming a master musician and he works hard at his craft.
Mr. Richardson is one of the finest students in the Class of 2013. Witty, intelligent, articulate, he can converse on just about any topic. He has a presence about him. When he enters a room, everyone knows it. Classmates thoroughly admire and respect him and teachers feel the same way.
Music and the teenager go hand in hand. Mr. Richardson has gained a statewide, if not national reputation as one of the top high school trombonists. He's a perfectionist and isn't one to sit back when there is work to do or music to rehearse.
Mr. Richardson is headed to Stony Brook University in the fall, where he has already begun studying with Ray Anderson, a professor at the school and a well-known trombonist.
The Huntington senior keeps a full performance schedule and has entertained a wide variety of audiences, including adding his talents to the pit orchestra that earned rave reviews this spring during the Huntington drama club production of The Sound of Music. But, Mr. Richardson has branched out much farther than the high school auditorium.
The teenager is becoming a highly recognizable figure in the music community. He's a serious student of music and he never stops learning. "I met trombonist Michael Davis in Rochester as he was directing the All-State jazz band," said Mr. Richardson, who was a member of the elite band. "We hit it off and he is now my private teacher. I have lessons with him in the city just off Times Square at a rehearsal studio on West 46th Street, which is very exciting. Working with Mr. Davis gives me insight into how he thinks and works with music and the trombone."
Mr. Davis is not just any old name in the world of music. He has played with Michael Jackson, Bob Dylan and The Rolling Stones, to name just a few of the great ones the musician has worked with. "I play a Michael Davis signature model Shires trombone now, which I purchased after trying out the one he brought to Rochester," Mr. Richardson said. "I asked him to bring one of these horns to the conference and he let me rehearse and perform on his own instrument. It is a fabulous trombone and has improved my playing a lot."
Most Dangerous Big Band Member
Mr. Richardson is always on the move. He was hired by Edward de'Corsia for New York's Most Dangerous Big Band after auditioning last summer. "Mr. de'Corsia was nice enough to wait until I finished marching band and then gave me the second trombone seat," the Huntington senior said. "This is a powerful, experienced group of players and being in the band is great for my growth as a player as well as a lot of fun." The band has had several gigs this spring with several additional free indoor and outdoor concerts scheduled around Long Island in the coming months.
Mr. Richardson has performed at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, DC with the top high school musicians in the country as a member of the national jazz band. He's appeared in Albany, where he entertained state officials. Everywhere he's gone, the teenager has carried himself well and never failed to bring credit to his school and community.
This year, as a member of the All-County jazz band, Mr. Richardson once again played at the Day of Jazz in Sayville as well as at the Principals and President's Dinner in Hauppauge and SCEMA (Suffolk County Music Educators Association) Day in Albany, to name just a few of his recent public appearances.
Mr. Richardson has worked closely with Huntington's music teachers, especially Jason Giachetti. "Day of Jazz is a great event and Mr. Giachetti hopes to get Huntington jazz kids there next year," the senior said. "I just hope that the jazz kids take advantage of the All-County jazz opportunities and remember to audition in the fall for a spot in this group.
During a trip to Albany this spring for NYSSMA (New York State School Music Association) Day and SCEMA Day, which kicked off Music In Our Schools Month, Mr. Richardson met Senate Education Committee Chairman John Flanagan and Assemblyman Chad Lupinacci, who introduced the Huntington musician on the floor of the Assembly. "It was a big thrill," Mr. Richardson said. "I was very honored to represent the All-State jazz band."
Mr. Richardson invited Mr. Luppinacci to Huntington High School's honors ensemble concert in April and the assemblyman accepted and attended the event. "He is a great advocate for music in education," the senior said.
Developed the Tri-M Website
As co-president of Huntington High School's Tri-M music honor society, Mr. Richardson developed a website for the organization and has been dogged in promoting its availability, even getting it listed on the Tri-M's national page. The website can be found by visiting www.2198.weebly.com. "It took almost two years of persistence and one last e-mail to the national chairman to get it included, but I did it," said the teenager proudly.
Mr. Richardson has also been promoting his own jazz sextet, which goes by the name ALCO. "We are starting to record and hope to have some bookings this summer," he said. ALCO, a subgroup of the East Rogues Jazz Collective, performed at a Sparkboom event in the Conklin House barn in Huntington on May 31. "Boom in the Barn" included both music and artwork by area artists.
Sparkboom is an arts initiative through Huntington Arts Council. Mr. Richardson engaged in an internship at HAC and through it met Michelle Carollo, an installation artist and the founder of the Sparkboom initiative. The senior has blogged for Sparkboom and even conducted a few interviews with area musicians. "My internship with the Huntington Arts Council also means that I'll be working with the performers for the summer music festival at Heckscher Park as well as performing with the Huntington Community Band in its concert series during the month of July."
Coordinated HYPE Night
The teenager played his last concert with the Nassau-Suffolk Performing Arts Jazz Ensemble in April. It marked the end of a three-year run with the exceptional group led by Bill Katz. "I will miss it, but it is nice to sleep a little later on Saturdays," Mr. Richardson joked.
Mr. Richardson once again coordinated the Huntington Young Performers Enrichment (HYPE) Solo Preview Night at the Huntington Public Library this spring. "We had a good turnout, the kids were great and the audience was incredibly enthusiastic and supportive," he said. Huntington music teachers Brian Stellato and Veronica Mainville were there to lend support and meet some of their future students.
As if he didn't have enough on his plate already, Mr. Richardson played in the pit orchestra for the James Street Players in Babylon for their production of Hairspray, which he said was a lot of fun. "I had hoped that I would get to continue playing once I was out of high school and this is exactly what has happened. I am continuing to get to meet and work with more and more area musicians and I couldn't be happier about that," he said.
When he walks off the stage at Huntington's 152nd commencement exercises and into history, Mr. Richardson will leave the high school as one of its finest and most accomplished musicians ever.