Orchestra Festival at Shenandoah Valley High School
By David Lindenmuth
More than 100 of the best high school musicians from the Poconos, Lehigh Valley, and the Coal Region converged on Shenandoah in late January for the 2016-17 Pennsylvania Music Educators Association (PMEA) District 10 Orchestra Festival.
Students from Schuylkill, Berks, Lehigh, Northampton, Carbon, Monroe, and Pike counties participated, including four from upper Schuylkill County. Those students were:
- Megan Sendatch, North Schuylkill, French Horn
- Han-Ya Hung, North Schuylkill, Viola
- Rocco Roguskie, Shenandoah Valley, French Horn
- Kaitlyn Karpovich, Shenandoah Valley, French Horn
The festival began January 26 and culminated with a concert in the Shenandoah Valley High School Auditorium on January 28.
The orchestra performed selections from Johannes Brahms’ Tragic Overture, the Karelia Overture by Jean Sibelius, Antonín Dvořák’s Symphony No. 9, and Dance of the Tumblers from Snow Maiden by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov.
It was the first time Shenandoah Valley has hosted the festival. Planning began two years ago, according to host director and Shenandoah Valley Band Director Walter Choplick.
“Since we don’t have an orchestra program,” Choplick stated, “I thought it would be good to bring something of this caliber to this area… to show the community and these students what an orchestra really is and what an orchestra really sounds like.”
Choplick outlined how an orchestra differs from a band. Orchestras “have smaller brass and smaller woodwind sections. We also have smaller percussion. Mostly, this is dominated by the string section.”
Participating students spoke to Coal Cracker about what it took to make it to the festival.
“It took quite a bit of practice to get here, it took a lot of work, a lot of confidence, and just, a lot of strength,” stated Senior Megan Sendatch. “You’ve got to be strong in order to get here, and then once it’s here, it’s just so powerful when you hear everybody playing together and you feel the energy of everybody in this room and how everyone is so dedicated to what they do.”
Senior Rocco Roguskie mentioned the convenience of having the festival hosted at his home school. It’s easier than “having to live in a hotel and then move stuff and all that,” he said.
Brandon Kunder, a Sophomore trumpet player from Conrad Weiser (Robesonia, Berks County), enjoyed his first year at District Orchestra. “The music is challenging, but enjoyable,” Kunder said. “The people are nice, they seem accepting.”
Sendatch had some advice for the public. “Always support your bands, always support your band directors, the arts are very crucial, and never stop playing.”