Westchester County School Music Association Honors Port Chester Student

The Westchester County School Music Association has announced that Emmalie Tello, a student at and Port Chester Superintendent of Schools will receive special honors at its upcoming End-of-the-Year Dinner.

Both Kliszus and Tello were nominated by the teachers of the Port Chester music department. 

Tello was selected by WCSMA as one of two recipients of the $500 Milton A. Williams Scholarship for summer music study. Kliszus was named WCSMA Administrator of the Year. 

They will receive their awards at the WCSMA dinner at Sam’s of Gedney Way in White Plains.

“In the case of both the Administrator of the Year and the Milton A. Williams Scholarship, we had a record number of applicants this year,” said William Eckfeld, outgoing WCSMA president. “Port Chester should be very proud.”

Kliszus was a high school teacher of music, marching band director, and director of music in the Union, NJ, public schools before continuing his administrative career as a school principal and superintendent.  He continues to write music and perform on the piano, and has recently written a concert march entitled "The Chariot of Queen Mab," for the Port Chester High School Band.

This year he also wrote a choral work for the Port Chester high school chorus entitled “Hope,” which is based on an Emily Dickinson poem.

Tello is a 9th grader who plays clarinet.  She is an exceptional student, already performing this year at the highest NYSSMA level, 6, on which she received an A+ 97.  She also performed a Level 5 flute solo (A 96) and Alto Voice Level 5 (A+ 97). 

She will use the scholarship money to offset costs of the prestigious Usdan Summer Music program, for this, her second year.