Successful Band Camp Opens Blue Devils’ Season

The Huntington High School Blue Devil marching band is off to a spectacular start to the 2025 competitive season. The band is coming off two weeks of training including intensive daily camp sessions last week, which culminated with a family show on the J. Taylor Finley Middle School athletic field on Sunday afternoon.

Andre Rizzuto leads the band as its director. The staff also includes Michael Reed (brass instructor), Noreen LaNassa (visual instructor), Dr. Jason Giachetti (pit instructor), Aleksander Justin (battery instructor), David Chavez Hernandez (color guard director/instructor) and Nick Danseglio (woodwind instructor).

“Training camp and band camp were extremely successful this year,” Mr. Rizzuto said. “The amount of hard work and dedication our students gave is truly remarkable. I’m so proud of all our students and staff members in making training camp and band camp, two weeks of non-stop success. The production of our field show, ‘Stranded’ along with the competitive season look incredibly bright. We encourage as many people as possible to come and witness all the passion, dedication and hard work these students put into this year’s production.”

Cole Lima, Lily Wasoski and Dana Saramago are this year’s drum majors. All three are veteran Blue Devil marching band veterans and they are energetic leaders and highly regarded ambassadors for the organization.

“Band camp went wonderfully,” Ms. Saramago said. “Everyone put in so much effort to put together this year’s show. I can just tell that it’s going to be an amazing season.”

The three drum majors played integral roles in the training sessions over the past two weeks and all of them noticed how their fellow musicians and color guard members grew as performers.

The musicians and color guard members who comprise the band are just as enthusiastic as their drum major leaders. The drum majors have worked extra hard to encourage everyone.

The band’s student leadership also includes:

Flute section leaders: Lily Buscemi, Veda Gross

Clarinet section leaders: Heather Herman, Sena Knopf

Alto Saxophone section leader: Alexa Mazure

Low woodwind section Leader: Marilyn Mendoza

Brass Captain- Charlie Cassatto

Trumpet/Mello section leader- Liam LaVertu

Low Brass section leader- Kellee Benitez

Drum Captains: Ethan Ambrosio, Jaipreet Singh

Color Guard Captain: Wynne Franciscovich

The Blue Devil band’s competitive schedule includes the following:

Sunday, September 14 at Brentwood High School

Sunday, September 21 at Copiague High School

Saturday, September 27 at Malverne High School

Sunday, September 28 at Roslyn High School

Sunday, October 12 at Arlington High School

Saturday, October 18 at Mineola High School

Sunday, October 19 at Hicksville High School

Sunday, October 26 at New York State Championships at Syracuse University

This year’s Huntington Blue Devil marching band features a splendid and diverse cross section of young people.

First organized in 1934 by high school music teacher James Cloyd Doty, an Ohio native and Oberlin College graduate, the Blue Devil band is among New York’s oldest and most highly regarded.