05/19/2026
One of our amazing and talented percussionists, Wisteria, is featured in this Humans of Manchester post. Check it out!
Humans of Manchester
Monday, May, 18, 2026
Wisteria Brown -- MHS Senior
Marco Cancellieri, who has been the Band Director at Manchester High for 25 years, said Wisteria “is right up there with the most talented, supportive, helpful, and influential students our band has ever had.” A member of the Performing Arts Academy and a straight-A student, Wisteria says the best thing about high school has been performing. “It’s one of my favorite things.” Highlights have included the recent spring concert in particular, as well as playing in the pit for “Chicago”, which was last year’s spring musical. “It's always a new experience playing pit books, since it's less about what's on the page and what everyone else is doing, and reacting to them in time.” Wisteria is headed in the fall to the Hartt School of Music (at the University of Hartford) to focus on percussion music performance and wants to make a living as a performing musician -- either as a classical musician in groups or as a pit musician for theater. “I am both excited to see what the future brings for them, and saddened by what their loss means for us here,” Cancellieri said. “They will always have a special place in my heart!”
