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   TORRINGTON HIGH SCHOOL 
MUSIC DEPARTMENT
The Pride of Torrington  

As a sophomore, she was accepted to perform at the American High School Performance Series at Carnegie Hall under the conductorship of H. Robert Reynolds. Based on her audition, she was chosen as principal flute player. During her junior year, Bridget was a finalist in the Williams Chorale Bacardi Performing Arts Competition and also received the Hartt Community Division’s Winds, Brass & Percussion Honors Award. As a senior Bridget was a finalist in the Stamford Symphony Competition. She has taken part in the ARIA International Summer Academy, the Julius Baker Flute Masterclasses at Western Connecticut State University as well as in masterclasses with Paul Edmund Davies, Gary Schocker, Eugenia Zukerman, Rae Tattenbaum, and Rhonda Larson.

In 2013, Bridget was a winner of the National Flute Association’s Masterclass Performance Competition and performed “Zoom Tube” by Ian Clarke for Pierre Yves-Artaud, flute professor at the Paris Conservatory at the National Flute Convention in New Orleans. She was a finalist in Bard Conservatory’s Concerto Competition this past fall and has played principal in the orchestra’s 2014 Eastern European Tour and their 2016 Cuba Tour. She plans to pursue both her PhD in forensic clinical psychology and her love for contemporary music after she graduates.

Memories from THS Band

Most of the memories from high school that are closest to my heart are from being a member of the Torrington High School band. The THS band provided me with a warm community of friends, many of whom I consider family today, that made my high school experience unforgettable. Besides the innumerable amount of laughs and fun I had, I remember the enormous sense of pride and dedication I felt to be a part of such an amazing group. None of the magic of this program would exist, though, without the huge heart and passion of its leader, Mr. S. I have never met anyone in my life who would do and give up as much as he does for his students. I feel so lucky to have been able to be a part of such a special group and I still miss it today. I will be eternally grateful for the lifelong friends and memories I have made from my time spent in the THS band.

 

I am a 2012 graduate of Torrington High School, I played snare in marching band, drums in jazz band and percussion in the symphonic band along with sound design for the plays. Since graduation I have been serving in the U.S. Navy and am currently an E-6 or a First Class Petty Officer, stationed in Washington state as a recruiter finding the next generation of Sailors. I have spent the last 5 years stationed aboard USS Bataan where I achieved the Surface Warfare, Aviation Warfare and Information Dominance Warfare specialist qualifications. I was deployed both in 2014 and 2017 each to the 5th and 6th fleet area of operation (the Middle East and Europe).

She has had the opportunity to visit countries such as Italy, Portugal, Spain, Turkey, Dubai, Bahrain, and Jordan. I am trained as an interior communications electrician in the Navy or an IC which basically means I am responsible for maintaining and repairing over 150 different systems onboard, consisting of phones, TV, CCTV, Flooding/fire/smoke/intrusion alarms, Salinity indicating systems, General announcing systems, Cathodic Protection (which protects the bottom of the ship from the corrosive properties of the salt water with an electromagnetic current) we also set up PA systems for any ceremonies and CO's calls that happen onboard. IC's are technicians so we troubleshoot and repair systems, we are the only job in the navy that work from the tippity top of the ship to the bottom of the hull. 

My fondest memories from my time in band were the drumline bandcamp days and the trip to Washington DC. Mr. S was the first person to see my potential as a leader and pushed me to achieve my goals, because of his guidance all those years ago, I have had a very successful Naval career. Music has been a love of mine throughout my life and something that has let me connect with people all over the world. 

Brittany Brown Class of 2012