They’ll have a lot of school work to catch up on when they get back, but for the chance to perform at the Grand Ole Opry will be more than worth it.

Shaun Radgowski of Montville and Marissa Caraballo and Laura Marseglia, both of Pawcatuck, were selected to participate in the National Association for Music Education’s All-National Honor Ensembles. They will join 44 other students from around Connecticut as well as other high school musicians from around the country for the annual NAfME festival in Nashville, which concludes with a performance at the Grand Ole Opry on Oct. 28.

Seniors Radgowski and Caraballo will be singing in the All-National Honors Mixed Choir, and sophomore Marseglia will be playing clarinet for the All-National Honors Concert Band.

For these three, the journey to Nashville started with early exposure to music through in-school music classes, private lessons and family. The experiences have stuck with them since.

Caraballo said being involved with chorus is like having another family because the vibe is so different than any other group she’s been involved with. Radgowski said his involvement in music has turned into a fundamental part of who he is.

“Every day I learn a little bit more about how music fits into the world and how amazing it is as an entity, as something that people share with each other, something people create for one another, and just really I’m glad that it exists,” he said.

In order to perform with the ensembles, students have to be selected into both regional and all-state ensembles, which require in-person auditions. The All-National competition requires an audition reel submitted online instead of a live audition, but scores from the regional and all-state auditions are also considered in selection. Students and their music directors are notified of their acceptance at the end of the previous school year.

Katrina Gottlieb, band teacher at Stonington High School, said both Caraballo and Marseglia are “phenomenal musicians,” high-honor students and delightful people overall. The acceptance of Marseglia, who also plays bass guitar in jazz band, is even more remarkable because the performances that got her to the All-National festival were done as a freshman.

“I don’t have enough good to say about them,” Gottlieb said.

The All-National Honor Ensembles don’t meet to rehearse together until everyone arrives in Nashville for the festival, so musicians have about a month and a half to rehearse the music on their own. Then, the ensembles rehearse all day Oct. 26 and 27 for the final performance Oct. 28. Marseglia said it’s a lot of work, but she’s looking forward to playing with new people and different conductors because it’s a good learning experience.

Between all the rehearsals, the students do get a few hours to spend exploring the city. Radgowski said he’s never been to Nashville and is excited to have some free time to explore such a prominent musical hub.

Caraballo and Radgowski are both looking to pursue music into college. Caraballo is heavily involved with musical theater at Stonington High School, a passion she discovered in elementary school, and she plans on studying musical theater and foreign language in college. She said her involvement with theater showcases her vocal abilities because her “theater voice” is different than her “choir voice.”

Radgowski, who auditioned for Eastern Regionals in voice, trumpet and piano and earned the top vocal score, will be studying music production and engineering.

“Music is like [academics] without a ceiling,” he said. “With music, it’s like you never have a limit on what you can do, you can always get better, you can always learn more about it, you can always take it to the next level. It’s just a different kind of excellence.”

a.hutchinson@theday.com

Twitter: @ahutch411