On Oct. 17, Brentwood High School welcomed several special guests from the prestigious Hartt School of Music at the University of Hartford to speak to students who are pursuing music and part of the wind ensemble and symphonic band.

Esteemed trombonists Haim Avitsur and Andrea Neumann spoke with the students about continuing to perform music in whatever institute of higher learning they choose to attend, as well as about how to balance careers in music with careers in other fields. Avitsur is a member of the New York Brass Arts Trio and has been a professor at multiple schools, including the Aaron Copland School of Music at Queens College. Neumann, meanwhile, is a groundbreaking trombonist who was one of the first women to secure a chair in a Broadway musical pit band when she joined the production of Fiddler on the Roof in 2016.

The duo performed two songs during their stay with the band before joining the company's eighth-period rehearsal to help fine-tune the sound that will be showcased in an upcoming concert. The visit was made possible through the BUFSD's Department of Performing and Fine Arts.