The music ensembles at Hudson have always been immensely popular and successful. Most students in these high school groups have been involved since fourth or fifth grade and have stuck to just one ensemble. Occasionally, you’ll find students that are a part of two groups, but only a select few have ever been in three ensembles at once.
This year, senior Anthony Yuhos is the only student in Chamber Orchestra, Wind Symphony and Chamber Choir. He also acts in the school musicals and plays piano for Vocal Impact, making him the epitome of a committed music student.
Yuhos began his musical journey in third grade when he was first drawn to his grandma’s piano. Michael, Yuhos’s brother, was also an early musical influence. “I joined orchestra and band because my brother did it. I ended up doing the same thing my brother did, which was to be in orchestra for every school year possible, not do band in middle school [since it conflicted with orchestra], but join band in high school and lastly join choir senior year. It’s funny; I never thought I would do all that.”
To Yuhos, choosing between ensembles would be as difficult as a parent picking their favorite child. But when selecting a favorite instrument, he thinks it’s much easier. “My favorite instrument is definitely the cello. I’ve been playing piano for longer, but there’s something about the cello I just really love; I think the sound and look of it. Sometimes piano can get a little bit confusing or daunting. With the cello, you are playing one note instead of fifty. Also, some quote says, ‘The cello is most like the human voice with both its tone and range,’ so I probably like it because of that too.”
It makes sense to wonder how he could do it all. How can an AP student manage time between his intense academic and musical commitments? “It’s definitely hard. I will admit I practice less than I should, but I still practice. I am an AP student that takes rigorous classes, but I’ve found that you get less homework in APs than in honors. Some days I’ll only be doing homework and will stay up late, and some days, I’ll just have the whole day free, and I will practice a little bit.”
Another way Yuhos balances his schedule is by cutting certain activities. In past years, he had to leave some music groups behind. “I was in Jazz Band, but I’m not doing that anymore because it conflicted too much with Track. I regret it a bit because I see Nick, Jeremy and Austin that kept doing it all these years, and I think, ‘Man, I could have been right with them.’ Same thing with Vocal Impact. I used to sing and dance for the group and now I just play piano, which is less of a time commitment, but I’m still part of the group. Looking back, I regret both, but I also know at the time, I had so much going on and I needed to cut some things out.”
For the proper music experience, bonding and connecting with other music students is pivotal. It becomes less enjoyable if you don’t make friends with those in your ensemble. Luckily, this rarely happens because of how long students have known each other through rehearsals. “In orchestra, you start in fourth grade and it’s up to now, so the same people you played with in younger grades are almost the same people, just less. So there’s definitely a lot of friendship established that way. Band is also a very tight-knit group because during marching band season, you’re with your squad every Wednesday for three hours and the football games are the whole night.”
One of the strong and worthwhile friendships he’s found through his music journey is with senior Nick Gessford. Gessford describes Yuhos as, “Hard-working, hilarious and very talented. I can always look forward to seeing him every day when I’m in band or choir. He can play almost any instrument you ask him to. He always brightens up my day. He’s just that guy.”
As well as appreciation for his friends, Yuhos respects his music teachers for all they’ve done for their programs. “[The teachers] are so unique and distinct in the way they run their classes. I go straight from one to the next to the other, and it’s very interesting to see that. All of my music teachers are great and I really appreciate how much time they sacrifice for us. During the musical, Moore, Iriarte and Russell are here very late after school. They just sacrifice a lot of their time for us so we have to appreciate that.”
His orchestra teacher, Mr. Iriarte, notes his efforts in music and his class. “Anthony has studied piano and cello. He’s reached a high level of technical and musical achievement on both instruments.”
Take it from Yuhos to know the ins and outs of Hudson’s music department. For any student debating whether to try music at HHS, Yuhos has this advice: “Colleges want well-rounded people, so music won’t look bad on your resume. I also feel like music has probably made me more outgoing because I don’t get performance anxiety anymore because I’ve performed so many times.”
The most important reason for joining the HHS music programs is how music differs so much from other schools. “Mrs. Platek (the middle school choir teacher) convinced me to join choir this year. She told me, ‘Look at that group. Look at the awesome things they’re doing.’ Then she says, ‘You’re not going to have that anywhere else.’ If I didn’t take choir this year, I probably would have taken AP Biology. I can take bio anytime I want, like when I’m in college. But this is a once-in-a-lifetime experience, so I might as well take advantage of it.”
As a senior, Yuhos has a lot of memories to pull from his time with music. During band last year, Yuhos recalls hearing “Transcendent Journey” by Rossano Galante as a memorable experience. “It was just so beautiful and moving that I was tearing up while we were playing it.” Another moment was in orchestra when the ensemble attended the OMEA contest this year. “You know how every performance isn’t perfect? I feel like that was the closest I ever got to a perfect performance.”
Outside his ensembles, he’s also had some memorable moments with music. Last December, Yuhos heard of Owen, a blind first-grader piano player, while touring the Hudson schools with Vocal Impact. After coordinating plans with Mrs. Miller, he got to meet Owen, play music for him, and hear Owen perform songs. This is something that will stick with Yuhos for a long time. Lastly, the thing that will be hardest for him to remember is all the ‘lasts’ of his senior year. “All the seniors were crying at the last marching band performance when we were facing Hoban. There’s going to be the end of the musical, and we’re about to have all our final concerts this year. I think, ‘I’m never gonna come back to this.’ You don’t realize what you have until it’s gone.”
After high school, Yuhos plans to attend the Ohio State University and major in Physics. Regarding his future music plans, he’ll look at his schedule and see if a music minor is possible. “At the very least, I’m going to join the orchestra for non-music students.” With his incredible musical range, there’s no doubt he’ll consider involving himself in other university music programs, just like he did at HHS.
Anthony Yuhos is an excellent role model for all students participating in the music programs at HHS. He shows that being in three ensembles is exceptionally beneficial and exciting. If anything, Yuhos is the perfect example of why music at Hudson should be taken advantage of. Music can change one’s life for the better, just as it did for Yuhos. Best of luck to him as he continues his studies and musical journey in college!
