Chatham senior Paxton Brownell and junior Aiden McShane have been selected for the NYS School Music Association's (NYSSMA) Conference All-State. This is an honorary performance opportunity reserved for only the most highly-rated student musicians in our state, akin to a state championship in athletics. Both students have been active in Chatham's chorus program since the fourth grade.
The pair, both bass singers, gained the attention of the All-State selection committee by earning perfect scores of 100 during their solo auditions at the 2025 regional NYSSMA Solo & Small Ensemble Festival. Selection for All-State is fiercely competitive; even perfect scores don't guarantee a spot, forcing Paxton and Aiden to wait until late August to learn their fate.
Aiden and Paxton will travel to the prestigious Eastman School of Music in Rochester from December 4-7. There, they will rehearse with the All-State Chorus under the direction of Dr. Brandon Boyd from the University of Missouri and perform at the storied Eastman Theater.
This year marks Paxton’s second time as an All-State performer, and the second time both a Chatham junior and senior will be attending the event, a rare achievement. He and Chatham senior Aidan Brennan represented Chatham at the 2024 All-State Chorus.
“If anything I was more relieved,” Paxton said about learning he was heading back to All–State. “Having gone as a junior I definitely felt pressure to go again as a senior.”
Along with being selected for the All-State Chorus this year and last, Paxton is a regular in NYSSMA All-County and Area All-State regional festivals, school plays and musicals, and he even has some professional experience at the Mac-Haydn Theatre under his belt. An honor student, Paxton attends Questar III’s New Visions Visual & Performing Arts program and plans to major in musical theater in college.
Aiden is only the second Chatham junior in recent memory to be selected for the All-State Chorus (the first being Paxton). Along with singing in the CHS chorus, Aiden plays cello in the CHS orchestra and plays piano as well. He has been selected for NYSSMA All-County festivals for all three of these musical disciplines. He also plays varsity football, is a member of his school’s robotics team, is a high honor student, and wears a second-degree black belt in taekwondo.
“I think getting into All-State was a mixture of years of practice and a little luck. Having experience playing an instrument has helped me a lot as a vocalist, especially with sight reading.” Aiden said.
The duo credit their school’s music department on their making it to All-State.
“Lightning struck the same place twice and it is because of the work of Mrs. McShane and Mrs. Brownell has set us all on a path to higher musical education,” Paxton said. Together, Mrs. McShane and Mrs. make up Chatham’s 4-12 chorus faculty.
Their participation in All-State culminates with a public concert at the esteemed Kodak Hall at Eastman Theatre on Sunday, December 7 at 10:00 a.m. Please join us in congratulating Paxton, Aiden, and our entire music department on this important accomplishment!